End Game
by Red Rover
Summary: A major series, started after the defeat of Piedmon in the first season. The Digidestined think they have won, when one of there own betrays them.
1. Betrayal

Digimon: End Game  
  
"You mean there's still an evil force out there?" Izzy was yelling into the computer. The battle was still raging around them, but their digi allies clearly were winning. The few remaining Vilemon where being chased into the mountains as the digidestined huddled around Izzy's computer.  
  
"Yes, unfortunately," Gennai answered through the E-mail on Izzy's laptop, "I have no idea who it is or where it's coming from."  
  
"So what do we do now?" Tai asked. Behind him, their digimon had devolved into their rookie forms, except for Angewomon, who went back to her champion form, Gatomon.  
  
"I'm not sure, my friends, but from what I can tell, this mysterious force is going to act shortly." Gennai sounded worried over the modem.  
  
As if on cue, the ground started to rumble.  
  
"I have an idea." Everyone turned around; Gatomon had walked to the center of them. "We got back to the digiworld using the digivices, everybody hold out your digivices. Maybe something will happen again."  
  
"Sounds like a plan." Matt said as he took his digivice off and held it out in his hand. The rest of the digidestined followed suit, holding their digivices in a circle around Gatomon.  
  
"Nothing is happening," Mimi whined. She just wanted to go home.  
  
"Something is happening." Gatomon's voice took a darker tone. Suddenly her eyes turned from their usually bright sky blue, to blood red. With lightning reflexes, she jumped up, spun around, and grabbed five of the digivices, one in each paw and one with her tail. She landed and kicked Sora's hand, the digivice flying out of her grasp. Gatomon then turned to Mimi and lunged. Mimi jumped back, letting go of the digivice. Gatomon picked it up, and caught Sora's digivice as it fell to the earth. "Just not what you expect."  
  
"What's going on, Gatomon?" Kari cried. She was the only one with her digivice left.  
  
"Kari, in case you haven't noticed, I'm evil again. Or I guess more accurately, I stopped pretending to be good." Gatomon jumped out of the circle of her former friends onto a large rock formation. She produced a sack out of a small hole in between the rocks, and dropped the digivices in. She slung the ill-gotten loot over her shoulder.  
  
"Gatomon, why are you doing this?" Tai said, placing himself in front of Kari.  
  
Gatomon sneered at them. "I needed you to defeat Myotismon. I was going to take over the digi-world when I got back, but I needed you again to defeat the Dark Masters. Now that they're gone, I am the most powerful digimon in the world."  
  
"Not if we can help it!" Agumon and Gabumon leapt at Gatomon, who batted them away like flies. The two digimon crumbled into a heap together.  
  
"I took you all on when you were champions, you don't have a chance in your rookie forms." Gatomon just laughed at them.  
  
"Spiral Twister!"  
  
"Boom Bubble!"  
  
"Super Shocker!"  
  
A trio of blasts came from behind, shattering the rock Gatomon was on moments before. She had jumped straight up and knocked Patamon into Tentomon, then landed on Biyomon's back, slamming her into the ground.  
  
"Nice try," Gatomon chuckled as she rolled off, "but it isn't going to work. Now surrender quietly and I won't hurt Oooofff!"  
  
Gomamon had tackled her from behind while Palmon's vines wrapped around the sack. Gatomon screamed with rage. She knocked Gomamon off her, pinning him to the ground with her paw. Palmon had gripped the bag with her poison ivy, but Gatomon sliced her vines with her claws. Palmon screamed and retracted her injured appendages.  
  
"Palmon! Are you ok?!" Mimi ran up to Palmon and caught her as she stumbled back. Palmon nodded with a sly smile on her face. Mimi didn't have time to ask why she was smiling. Joe rushed forwards to help Gomamon, but was held back by Matt and Tai.  
  
Gatomon, still standing on top of Gomamon, was laughing now. "Enough of this." She snapped her claws together and suddenly the sky grew dark.  
  
"Black gears!" TK screamed, pointing at the sky. They began pouring down. Mimi's army began to be bombarded as the gears implanted themselves in their friends. In a few seconds, the entire army had been converted to Gatomon's side.  
  
Gatomon smiled evilly now. "Now, your immediate surrender would be appreciated," the army moved forward, surrounding the digidestined and their digimon, Gomamon still firmly planted under Gatomon's paw, "but not expected."  
  
"Don't worry. I have a plan." Izzy looked down and saw Gennai talking on the computer. Suddenly, a fog rolled out of nowhere, so thick that no one could see an inch in front of his or her face. "It's a program designed for hiding files. Now everyone run!" The digidestined took off as fast as they could in different directions. Thanks to the confusing fog, the turned army was in shambles as they took shots at one another. When the fog cleared, the digidestined had all escaped.  
  
"How could you screw this up?" Gatomon screamed at her mind controlled legions. She looked down at the stunned Gomamon under her. "We got one prisoner! ONE! Out of over a dozen!" She kicked Gomamon over to Ogremon. "Take him to Piedmon's lair, now my lair. Lock him up in the dungeon, I'll be there shortly." Ogremon, his eyes as blank as slates, picked up Gomamon and walked towards the castle.  
  
Gatomon grumbled as she entered a large room in her castle. "Why don't you destroy him? He's still a threat." The voice was dark, almost ominous.  
  
Gatomon twirled her sack of digivices in her hand. "No. If I wanted the digidestined destroyed, I could have killed them in their sleep. Victory loses a bit of luster if there is no one to brag to, besides, if I can turn them to my side, it just increases my power."  
  
A second voice, this one high pitch, almost childish, came from the shadows. "But your previous digimon friends are still powerful, their combined might is greater than yours."  
  
Gatomon chuckled. "I didn't bring you back from deletion to lecture me. In case you've forgotten, they defeated you too. I can also send you back with a snap of my claws. Besides, they can only digivolve with the aid of the digivices, which I happen to have right here."  
  
The sack was ceremoniously lifted up, and the contents dumped on the table. The digivices spread across the table. A third melodic and final voice spoke, "Un huh. It seems that you have trouble keeping beat. Last time I counted, there were seven digidestined, not including your beloved Kari. There seem to be only five devices on that table.  
  
Gatomon glared down at the table. It was true. Two of the digivices were missing. "What?! How can this be?" She opened the sack to check, and found two holes in the bottom. "Palmon," she growled. "She must have broken through my sack and swiped two of the devices." She brought her hand down on the table. "You three! I brought you back for several reasons. One, you're powerful. Two, you hate the digidestined. And three, you're smart enough to realize that I can delete you again, hence I control you. Now find them! Scour everywhere!"  
  
The three shapes left the room in order to accomplish their task. Gatomon sat back down. There was no reason to get worried. The digidestined were separated, they didn't know who the devices belonged to, and she still had her army, as well as one final ace up her glove. She laughed to herself. There was no need to worry. 


	2. A Glimmer of Hope

The digidestined had managed to escape Gatomon's army, but in the fog, they couldn't keep track of one another. They had all gotten separated as they took of on various directions. In the confusion, Tai and Izzy where running together when a fireball, most likely from Meramon, landed between them. The blast threw them both off their feet. Tai recovered and found Izzy's computer in front of him. He grabbed the computer and ran off as fast as he could.  
  
Tai had emerged from the fog alone in a forest area. He sat down, utterly exhausted from the whole experience. As he lay against a tree, he realized he was at a complete loss as to what to do. Even if they had escaped, they where separated, no digivices, and Gatomon had converted whatever friends they had. His sister Kari was missing too. Just as Tai was about to give up completely, he heard a beeping from beside him. Izzy computer was making the sound. He popped opened the top, and found the mail icon beeping.  
  
"Gennai must be trying to contact us." Tai tried to open the folder, but it was had a password. "Jeez, you think Izzy would have told us his password, after all we might need to use it. What could it be? Something uncommon, but easy to remember…"  
  
"Try PRODIGIOUS."'  
  
Tai grabbed a rock and whirled around. He dropped the rock when he recognized his company. "Palmon! You scared me half to death!"  
  
Palmon jumped out of the tree and landed beside Tai. She wrapped her arms him and hugged him. "I'm sorry Tai, I'm just so happy to see someone! I was afraid everyone was captured."  
  
Tai was happy to see a familiar face too. "I'm glad to see you too. Let's try your password." Tai typed in prodigious and low and behold, it worked.  
  
Gennai popped onto the screen. "I'm glad to see your all right Tai and Palmon. I've been researching at the ruins, and found a second prophesy?"  
  
"Another prophesy?" Tai complained; the last one predicted Myotismon would digivolve to Venomyotismon. He wasn't looking forward to what this one predicted.  
  
"I'm afraid so Tai. I'm downloading it now." Ancient hieroglyphics filled the screen, shortly after they turned to words.  
  
The fallen angel shall show herself  
  
In the guise of a friend  
  
The sky shall turn dark  
  
And friends shall become foes  
  
She shall then raise the defeated and destroyed  
  
To take their revenge against the ones who banished them  
  
To the state of none-being  
  
The son of fallen angels  
  
Shall reveal his power  
  
To save a loved one  
  
The chosen ones shall than be tempted by the dark side  
  
To let their evil selves take control  
  
Then the fallen one shall reveal herself  
  
In her true form  
  
And then we shall see friends reunited  
  
With the writings from the past  
  
Hidden under the cover of shame  
  
To travel back to the past  
  
And the writer of these prophecies shall be revealed  
  
As &^"{@((!)*&@  
  
"What's happening? The screen's going nuts." Tai whined.  
  
"I'm sorry, part of this tablet was damaged, the computer can't translate it. I'll have to repair it before we can finish translating the tablets. I'll get back to you as soon as possible." Gennai waved on the screen before it went blank.  
  
"Well the first part is true. Gatomon must be the fallen angel in the prophecy." Palmon looked at the computer. "And the dark sky must be those black gears. But I don't understand the rest, son of a fallen angel? Gatomon doesn't have any kids. Besides, all digi-eggs hatch at primary village, we never see our parents."  
  
Tai couldn't make heads or tails of the prediction either. It only made sense after it has happened, which doesn't help a lot. "I think where in trouble Palmon. We have no friends left, and Gatomon had stolen all our digivices."  
  
A weird smile crept over Palmon's face. Tai look at her like she was nuts, "What in the digital world is there to be smiling about?"  
  
Palmon reached up into the blossom on her head. She pulled out the two digivices she managed to pick pocket from Gatomon's sack. The smile on her face broke into an enormous grin. "She doesn't have all the digivices."  
  
For the first time all day Tai smiled. "Palmon! That's great! We have a fighting chance now.  
  
He continued talking, "Now we just need to find who these digivices belong to, find our digimon, and we can take on Gatomon." Tai sobered up when he said this out loud. "But we don't know where everybody is and without their respective digimon, these devices are useless. But at least it's a start." He took the digivices in his pocket and then placed his hand on Palmon's shoulder, "Come on, we better get some sleep, we have to start searching for everyone tomorrow." Tai yawned and stretched his arm up.  
  
"Did I wake you?" A dark robed figure flew down from the sky and landed in front of them. Horror instantly filled Palmon and Tai.  
  
"Devimon!" They both screamed. The dark digimon moved towards the two. "But, we deleted you on File Island!" Palmon stuttered.  
  
An evil smile crept across the virus's face. "I'm glad you remember me." His face quickly turned to a scowl. "I would kill you where you stand for defeating me, but Gatomon has given me orders to bring you back alive."  
  
"Palmon, catch!" Tai threw the digivices from his pocket towards Palmon. She caught them in her hands, but just stood there, not knowing what to do next. "RUN! Hide in the forest!" Tai turned towards and charged Devimon, slamming his with all his force in the chest.  
  
Devimon wasn't hurt by Tai's attack, but he was momentarily caught off guard. "Foolish digidestined!" His hand wrapped around Tai's neck and pulled him off the ground and backhanded him once against the face. "How dare you strike your superior!" His rage quickly subsided as he looked for his second victim. However, Tai had bought Palmon enough time to hide. In a forest setting, she blended in so well that she was undetectable by the naked eye.  
  
Tai smiled through his bruised lips. "Who's the fool now? Palmon's escaped high and dry with the digivices."  
  
Another enraged backhand strike knocked Tai out cold. Devimon slung the unconscious form under his arm and with a flap of his gigantic wings, flew off towards Gatomon's lair. 


	3. Hidden Power

Izzy had ran out of the fog, bowling over Sora in the process. The two of them got up and ran into a rocky valley. They ran for nearly two hours until they both collapsed in a cavern, utterly exhausted from the marathon tun. The sat there breathing heavily for several minutes. Sora was the first to speak.  
  
"Are you ok, Izzy?" Sora asked, still breathing deeply in and out.  
  
"I guess." Izzy was more into computers than sports. Sora, being a natural athlete, had almost recovered. Izzy on the other hand, felt like he was run over by a Tankmon. "Are you ok?"  
  
"Yes, just a little surprised by the turn of events." Sora sighed loudly, "I mean, who would have though Gatomon would have turned on us? She risked her life for Kari and us numerous times."  
  
Izzy nodded in agreement. He went to stand up, but fell back down again. "Ow!" He looked down at his feet. One of his ankles was swelling up. He remembered falling down in the fog; he must have hurt his ankle. The adrenaline rush was so great though, he hadn't noticed the pain until it wore off.  
  
"You're hurt Izzy!" Sora exclaimed. She walked over to Izzy and began to carefully remove his shoe and sock. "It looks like you slightly twisted your ankle."  
  
She began to lightly massage his foot. "Doesn't that fell better?"  
  
Izzy winced a bit from the tenderness of the touch, but the sensation was feeling quite good. "It does Sora, Where did you learn to do this?"  
  
Sora smiled at Izzy, "I want to be a physiotherapist when I grow up. I've been studying up on some of the practices."  
  
"Well, it seems you have quite a talent for it." Sora blushed at Izzy compliment. Izzy was a little embarrassed; he never was really good at talking to girls. He quickly changed the subject.  
  
"The thing I wonder is how did Gatomon's eyes change color? When she was fighting us, they where red instead of blue. I'm going to check it out on my computer." He reached behind him and came up with nothing. "My computer! It's gone, I must have lost it in the battle!" The whole experience finally caught up with Izzy, and he began to cry.  
  
"Izzy what's wrong?" Sora was surprised by this sudden outburst. Izzy was always the logical one.  
  
"It's everything Sora! We lost our friends, we're trapped in the digital world, and my computer is gone! I'm totally useless without my computer! It was the only thing that made me useful to our group." Izzy had his eyes in his hands.  
  
"Now that's not true Izzy!" Sora got up and placed her hands on his shoulders. "You have always been there for us. You would do anything to help. And I know you'd risk your own life to save anyone of ours."  
  
Izzy was still crying. Sora was actually angry now, "Now listen here! There's more to you than that computer! You are a sweet caring guy! You're dependable, intelligent, and I respect you for it."  
  
Izzy removed his hands and looked up at Sora and said "your right Sora, I guess we should get some sleep now."  
  
Sora agreed and they both set up pallets and went to bed.  
  
Izzy was the first to wake up nearly six hours later. He covered Sora with some leaves and began to dress himself, putting on his shoes and shirts first. He had put everything on put his gloves before he realized Sora was staring at him.  
  
She looked at Izzy staring at her, and noticed something odd about him. "What's that on your hand?"  
  
Izzy looked down at his hands and blushed. "Nothing really. It's from when I was a baby. It's some weird birthmark. It doesn't look too attractive. That's why I always where gloves, even when I type."  
  
Sora looked at it before Izzy's hid his hand. It was some weird orange design and looked almost like a tattoo, she could have sworn that she saw it somewhere before. "It doesn't look that bad. It kind of looks like the Batman symbol."  
  
This got a chuckle from Izzy. "My kindergarten class thought that to. It was my nickname."  
  
Sora laughed as well. She continued talking. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, anything looks good on the one you love." They both blushed when Sora said this.  
  
"Ah now, isn't that sweet."  
  
Izzy and Sora turned around to the entrance of the cave. A dark shadow was in the entrance. "Etemon!" Izzy cried.  
  
"You wish." The shadow came in to the light. A metallic glister shone of his body. "Etemon was the old model. You two haven't seen the new, improved, mega version of Etemon, METALETEMON!" Metaletemon struck a flexing pose when he announced this.  
  
Metaletemon took a few steps forwards. "Gatomon will be pleased. Un Huh." Sora stood up, forgetting she was in her nightgown underneath the leaves. "What do we have here? It looks like some people have been having fun without me."  
  
A cold hand wrapped around Sora's arm and pulled her close. "How would you like to take a little walk with the King of Rock? You'll be the envy of all your ladies friends." He grinned.  
  
"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Izzy grabbed Metaletemon's arm and pulled as hard as he could.  
  
"Now you stay out of this!" A backhanded strike sent Izzy spiraling into the corner.  
  
"Izzy NO!" Sora screamed. Izzy was lying in a crumpled heap in the corner, motionless. Sora feared that he might be severely hurt, or…  
  
"Now forget about him." He grabbed her arm hard, hurting Sora. Sora slapped him hard across the face. She screamed as she nearly broke his hand on his metal hide. "You want it rough, I can be rough." His tail whipped around and slapped her back.  
  
"Let her go." Izzy's voice echoed through the cavern. The voice was cool, and sounded more like an order than an empty threat.  
  
"Or else what?" Metaletemon laughed, turning around to face Izzy.  
  
Sora expected to see Izzy standing, holding a stick in some noble but hopeless attempt to fight Metaletemon. Instead, Izzy was standing, no, FLOATING in front of them, his head looking at his feet, which where hovering two inches off the ground. His hair and clothes whipped around him like he was in a gale force wind, but not the slightest breeze was blowing through the cave. An aura of transparent black energy began to wrap around his body. But the most starling feature was when Izzy looked up. His eyes had changed to a solid red color. He opened his mouth, and a voice like Izzy's, but deeper and colder, spoke. "Or else this."  
  
Moving at an inhuman speed Izzy skyrocketed towards Metaletemon and landed a right hook on his jaw. Metaletemon released Sora and flew outside the cave, with Izzy in hot pursuit.  
  
Picking herself off the ground, Sora ran outside and witnessed Metaletemon and Izzy locked with their hands locked together, each trying to force the other to their knees.  
  
"You think a mere human can take on a Mega Digimon!?" An enraged Metaletemon shouted, his voice clearly showing he was struggling to keep his ground.  
  
One word formed on Izzy's lips "Yes." And with a surge of energy, Izzy forced the metallic monkey to his knees and then threw him against a boulder.  
  
Metaletemon jumped to his feet, furious. "I'll destroy you! DARK NETWORK CONCERT CRUSH!" A huge ball of energy formed in his hand and he abruptly flung it towards Izzy.  
  
Izzy held out his right hand. A pulse of black energy surged from his palm, disintegrating Metaletemon's attack and striking the evil digimon head on. Stress cracks formed on Metaletemon's body as he sailed through the air before colliding with a mountain ridge. Izzy floated towards his weakened prey.  
  
Metaletemon looked up at him. Oddly, he smiled at Izzy as he approached. "If you kill me, you'll be no better than me."  
  
Izzy grabbed Metaletemon by the neck and pulled him so their faces where only an inch apart. He looked his enemy straight in the eye as he worded out his answer. "I can live with that."  
  
An enormous blast of raw power flowed from his fingertip, flinging Metaletemon into the air, his body soon disappearing over a mountain. Izzy watched as he flew through the sky. Suddenly, the black aura disappeared from around his body and he collapsed to the ground.  
  
"IZZY!" Sora screamed, she ran over to her fallen friend. She picked up his head, "Are you all right?"  
  
His eyes flew open, which she noticed had changed back to their normal human color. Izzy sat up on his knees looking at his hands.  
  
"How did you do that?" Sora asked, still afraid he might be hurt.  
  
Izzy turned towards her. He looked like a lost soul in search of an answer. His answer came out in a mere stuttered whisper, "I . . I . . don't know." 


	4. Strange Symbols

Gabumon did not fare well while he was escaping. He ran in a crowd of Geckomon and Otamamon. While he was more powerful than any one of them, a large group was more than he could handle. They attacked him from all angles, knocking him to the ground. Just before he succumbed to the attack, he felt the strangest sensation of being lifted up and towards the heavens.  
  
"Gabumon…"  
  
Gabumon opened his eyes. He saw blurred-feathered wings in front of him. "Am I deleted?" He whispered. "Are you an Angelmon?"  
  
The figure chuckled slightly above him. "No, not even close."  
  
His eyes focused in front of him letting the figure take shape. "Biyomon! I'm glad you all right!"  
  
Biyomon smiled at him. "I was more worried about you. Luckily I ran into you in the fog, I managed to fly us out of there. If I was even a few seconds later…." she stopped afraid to finish the sentence. "You took quite a beating. You where wounded all over your face, stomach and back."  
  
"But how could you see my face and back?" Gabumon reached behind him and was shocked to feel the complete absence of fur. His pelt had been removed to dress his wounds!  
  
Biyomon continued talking, "I know, I had to take it off to see if you where all right. It was weird, you had all these strange symbols on you…" but Gabumon had grown enraged and stopped listening. Removing a Gabumon's fur without permission was the worst insult imaginable to human or digimon. He threw on the fur pelt over his back, the turned and faced Biyomon.  
  
"HOW DARE YOU!" He took a step towards Biyomon, who had stop talking when she saw an enraged Gabumon walking towards her. "How dare I what?" she squeaked out.  
  
"YOU KNOW WHAT!" Gabumon grabbed Biyomon by the shoulders. Biyomon pushed him off, causing him to fall over. Gabumon jumped up, "Why you pink little bitch… BLUE BLASTER!" A blue stream flew from his mouth; Biyomon barely had time to counter with her own spiral twister. A small explosion filled the air as the two blasts collided. Biyomon lost sight of Gabumon in the smoke for a brief instant, but caught sight of him when came barreling out of the fog. He tackled her and they both went rolling down a steep embankment, landing in a lake at the bottom.  
  
They both sank into the lake, wrestling. Biyomon pushed away with her taloned feet, and let out another spiral twister. Gabumon was blown out of the water and landed on the bank.  
  
Gabumon, wind knocked out of him, came to his senses as he gasped for breath. "I'm sorry Biyomon. I...I don't know what came over me. It's just that removing my fur, well…Biyomon? BIYOMON!" Gabumon looked around, Biyomon had not surfaced from the battle. She had not had enough air to swim after using her spiral twister and had sunk to the bottom.  
  
With a new sense of energy, Gabumon jumped back in the water and swam down. Just as he was about to tun out of air, he saw a gleam of light. Biyomon's leg ring was reflecting the sunlight, as she lay unconscious, allowing Gabumon to find her. Gabumon swam as fast as he could, grabbing Biyomon by the neck and rocketing to the surface. Just as he felt his lungs ready to explode, he broke the water's surface, sweet air filling his lungs.  
  
Gabumon quickly dragged Biyomon's motionless form to the beach. "Biyomon! Wake up! He shouted into her ear, but she didn't respond, in fact Gabumon realized she wasn't breathing! Gabumon panicked. "What am I going to do?!" He shouted in panic. Then he remembered when he and Matt where watching TV, they're was some show on about a boy saving a girl's life with something called CPR. Gabumon hoped he could duplicate the results.  
  
Grasping the back of Biyomon's neck and tilting her head up, Gabumon wrapped his lips around Biyomon's beak and blew. He then placed his hands on her chest and pushed down hard three times. He repeated this for two minutes when suddenly, a stream of water came shooting out of Biyomon's mouth as she coughed violently. She weakly pushed herself up with her wings and looked at Gabumon.  
  
A smile broke across Gabumon's face when he realized that she was alright, but it quickly passed when he remember that he was the one that almost killed her. He turned away and began to walk away in shame. Biyomon placed a wing on his shoulder as he turned around. "Gabumon are you alright?"  
  
This made Gabumon even more ashamed. Biyomon was still worried about him even after he savagely attacked her. Biyomon continued speaking, "I am so sorry! I knew you didn't like having your fur off, but I wanted to see if you where injured."  
  
Gabumon fell to his knees. "Biyomon stop! I nearly killed you! You where trying to help me and I paid you back by attacking you, and your still worried about me!"  
  
"Well it was partly my fault." Biyomon put her other wing on his other shoulder. "I didn't know you've never removed your fur before."  
  
"I am sorry." Gabumon breathed out. "About what I did."  
  
"I am too." Biyomon chirped out. "We shouldn't talk about it anymore, we have to find our friends."  
  
Gabumon nodded in exhausted agreement. They both got up and washed themselves off in the water in front of them. The whole time she was cleaning herself, Biyomon had a few questions about what was under Gabumon's pelt. She could have sworn that she had seen the symbols somewhere before… 


	5. Puppet Show

Digimon: End Game  
  
Mimi had come storming out of the fog into an abandoned city section. She had tripped on a fallen lamppost, but was quickly helped up by clawed hands. "Agumon!" She cried, glad to have a protector. She looked up and saw Patamon flying over his head. "Patamon! Where are the others?"  
  
Agumon didn't have time to chat. The converted Andromon had been hot on their tails. The fog didn't hinder Andromon's sensors much. "Come on Mimi, we have to hide in that building there. The metal in the structure should interfere with the Andromon's sensors. Come on, move it!" Agumon nearly dragging Mimi by her arm to the building, which turned out to be some sort of deserted theater. Agumon and Patamon watched out the window as Andromon walked by, slowly looked around, and continued on his way.  
  
"Whew…." Agumon breathed a sigh of relief as their former friend slowly disappeared from view. He turned to face his friends. "That was too close. He nearly caught us there Mimi." Suddenly Mimi slapped him across the face. "Ouch! What the digihell was that for?"  
  
"Look at this!" Mimi screamed. She held out her arm, exposing three large scratches on her arm.  
  
Agumon realized that he must have cut her with his claws when he was pulling Mimi's arm. "I'm sorry, but would you have preferred that we let you be captured?"  
  
"Well did you have to injure me while you where doing it?" Mimi shot back.  
  
"Well, if you weren't such a baby all the time I wouldn't have had to pull you so hard!" Agumon was getting pretty angry at Mimi's ungratefulness. Mimi and Agumon where standing toe to toe when Patamon flew down between them.  
  
"Now come on you two!" Patamon held out his paws. "We're all tired from running and the previous battle. It's making us all yell at one another. Now why don't we get some sleep?"  
  
Agumon and Mimi snorted at one another. They walked over to respective corners of the giant theater. They made beds out of the large curtains, and quickly fell asleep.  
  
Mimi woke up to a noise over her head. She saw Agumon standing over her. "What do you want?" She angrily asked.  
  
Agumon looked like he was trying to say something, but instead he tackled Mimi. Mimi, completely surprised by this, defended herself in the way women traditionally handle male aggressors: by nailing him as hard as she could in between the legs with her knee. She saw Agumon's eyes light up in pain and surprise, but not a sound escaped his lips. Mimi couldn't figure out why he was attacking her and not speaking when she saw strings attached to various parts of his body, one was clearly holding his mouth shut. She pushed off Agumon with all her strength and jumped away. "What's going on?"  
  
A high-pitched voice came from the rafters. "I'll give you a hint, who's your favorite evil twin of Pinocchio?"  
  
Mimi looked straight up. "Puppetmon!"  
  
"Why thank you!" Puppetmon laughed. "I was really hoping to run into that Matt kid and his dog Gabumon, but hey, beggars can't be choosers. Speaking of begging, now it's time for you to start to beg for your lives." Another wave of laughter filled the room.  
  
Patamon had woken up and flown beside Mimi, ready to defend her. Mimi yelled up at their attacker, "Why are you helping Gatomon? She helped destroy you before, remember?"  
  
Puppetmon sighed, "True, but she did bring me back and gave me some wonderful playmates, namely you. Besides," Puppetmon tapped the side of his head; "Gatomon brought me back with a few changes. She can delete me on a whim. Lucky for you Gatomon wanted you alive or I would have destroyed you on a whim as well." Puppetmon held out his hand, shooting strings that lassoed around Patamon and Mimi. "But she didn't say I couldn't have some fun first. Now what do you want, pain or humiliation?"  
  
The three captures struggled vainly against their strings, but their grips were too tight. Puppetmon laughed as they struggled. "Well if you won't choose, I will. Let's go humiliation. It's much less messy than pain, and there's not as much to clean up. I have an idea! Since where in a theater, we'll put on a puppet show. Now then everybody into costume!"  
  
Mimi felt herself walk towards the costumes in the corner. She was forced to put on a princess's gown with a tiara on her head. She couldn't help but think how much it resembled the outfit she wore when she was with the Geckomon in their castle. "What are we doing?"  
  
When she had finished putting on the clothes, she felt herself turn around. Agumon and Patamon where wearing outfits that made them look like members of the three musketeers, complete with frilly hats and sword. They where both trying to say something, but their jaws where still strung shut.  
  
"Now then," Puppetmon shouted down from the rafters, "Let the show begin!  
  
For the next twenty minutes he put them all through an embarrassingly stupid play. "This is stupid..." Mimi was fuming as she stood on the balcony. Patamon and Agumon had drawn their sowrd.  
  
"En guard!" Agumon shouted as he lunged forward with his sword. Palmon was holding a sword with two hands, very awkwardly.  
  
"Agumon, why are you getting into it?" Patamon and Agumon moved close, the swords clashed.  
  
"So that Patamon won't here my plan..." Agumon whispered before he jumped back, thanks to the strings.  
  
"Oh..." Patamon smiled. "Touche!" Patamon jumped up, bringing the sword down on Agumon's block. When he was close he whispered. "So what's the plan?"  
  
Agumon looked at the curtain behind him. "Listen..."  
  
It was nearly twenty minutes before the play was over, and five more minutes before Puppetmon regained his composure enough to speak. Puppetmon looked around smiling, "What no applause? I though it was an excellent bit of improve." Mimi just glared at Puppetmon. "Oh well, we're done here. Now we have another play-date with Gatomon." Puppetmon relaxed his tension on the strings.  
  
Suddenly two blasts of energy came from Agumon and Patamon. A fireball sailed to Puppetmon's left and a boom bubble to his right. Puppetmon held his eyelid and stuck out his tongue. "Nyahh Nyahh missed me!"  
  
Agumon smiled. "We meant to."  
  
Puppetmon whirled around and saw the charred remained of two ropes go flying up to the ceiling. His gaze followed the ropes as they hit the top, releasing the several hundred pound curtain directly above him. He had time for a quick scream as several kilograms of velvet smothered him.  
  
"Let's get out of here!" Patamon cried as the three raced towards the exit. The heard Puppetmon's enraged scream, from behind them, but by the time he freed himself, his prisoners had escaped.  
  
The trio ran as fast as they could, not stopping until they where on the outskirts of the city. They hid in a tiny cabin, breathing a deep sigh of relief. 


	6. A New Twist on an Old Trick

Gatomon walked into the large lab she discovered in Piedmon's lair. She had been here before to resurrect Devimon, Metaletemon, and Puppetmon, but now she needed another type of help. She walked over to a counsel and whipped a disk from under her gloved paw. She picked up several disks while she was back on earth. This one was called autorecover.bat. She had originally brought it back to try and restore Wizardmon, but her plans had changed.  
  
A quick tap on the computer console brought up a screen. She inserted the disk and began vocalizing her commands. "Computer, can programs Datamon and Vademon be recovered?"  
  
"Yes." The computer replied.  
  
A smile smirked across Gatomon's face, "Good, restore those programs, making sure to include program Gatomon's servant."  
  
The computer complied and started without hesitation. In front of her on a platform, thousands of bits of information began swirling around and started to combine into two forms. After a few minutes, two figures walked of the platform. One looked like an octopus with a brain on top, the other a light bulb with mechanical arms and legs.  
  
"Good to see my two new scientists." Gatomon welcomed them. "Now enough chit chat, I have work for you two."  
  
"Excuse me," Datamon walked forward, "While I'm grateful for being brought back, I have no intention for working for a mere cat." He turned to the door and began to leave.  
  
Gatomon whipped out a remote control, she pressed a button, and suddenly Datamon writhed in pain. She replaced her remote under her glove. "Now as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I've implanted some code when I resurrected you. Disobeying me can result in pain or deletion. Any questions?"  
  
"Not here! Vademon shook his head.  
  
Gatomon turned towards Datamon's form, "And you?" Datamon got up and nodded weakly. "Good. Now here's what I want you to make for me."  
  
  
  
A few hours later Gatomon returned to the lab. She walked over two where the pair where working. "Now how's my little pet project going?"  
  
Datamon let out a silent curse, which Gatomon pretended not to hear. He took a gear from the table and tossed it to Gatomon. "Thanks to my research on Sora, and Vademon's ability to remove emotions like on that Izzy digidestined, we've come up with that. The digidestined digimon are naturally immune to the black gears thanks to prolonged exposure to the digivices when they were baby and in-training digimon. However, that gear there will temporarily remove all guilt, decently, and morality for a limited amount of time. With more work the gears will last longer."  
  
Vademon took a step forward, "However we have to test it first to see if it actually works."  
  
Gatomon smiled, "I know just the one to test it on." She walked out of the lab laughing tossing the gear up and down in her paw.  
  
The dungeon door flew open. Gomamon looked up and saw Gatomon walk through. He was still chained in the spread eagle position after his last encounter with the feline turncoat. She walked up to Gomamon and leaned against his furry chest. She put one hand on his shoulder and began tracing a claw up and down his body. "What do you want now?" Gomamon sneered out.  
  
"Why, I'm going to let you go if you want me to." Gatomon released Gomamon from her embrace and walked over to the wall. She flipped a switch on the wall and Gomamon fell to the floor. He looked up in surprise. "You can go now if you choose," She walked up him and quickly smacked him once across the face, "or you can stay here with me for a little payback."  
  
Although Gomamon still Gatomon was one of the most striking digimon in either world, he let out quick. "Not in a digi-millennium!" Gomamon made a break for the door.  
  
Just before he ran out of the cell, Gatomon yelled out sweetly, "Oh Gomamon…." Gomamon new that he should keep running, but he turned around quickly anyway. Gatomon reached behind her back and pulled out something. "Catch."  
  
Gatomon threw the black gear towards Gomamon. He instinctively tried to bat it away, but it immediately embedded in his skin. A yelp of pain escaped his lips as the gear burrowed into him. She walked towards him, and placed her paws on his shoulders. "Still want to leave?"  
  
Gomamon turned to the door to run, but he realized, why should he? He thought about Joe and the others, and realized he didn't care. He couldn't think of a single good reason for leaving. "Not at all."  
  
After almost an hour of Gomamon doing anything and everything Gatomon wanted from telling any secrets he knew about his friends, to agreeing to be on Gatomon's side, when he suddenly shook his head and said, "What did I just do?"  
  
Gatomon got up as well; "Hmm it seems the gear has run its course. Ah well," She ran her paw through his fire red Mohawk, "I got what I wanted."  
  
Gomamon took a swipe at her, but was promptly kicked in the corner. Gatomon turned away and walked towards the door. "You can stay here, we can play later when you're feeling up to it." Gatomon smiled and slammed the door behind her. An enraged Gomamon threw himself against the door, but only succeeded in hurting his shoulder. Gatomon chuckled to herself as she walked away. She held another gear in her paw. "Now with these little babies, we can have a little fun." 


	7. The Anti-Crests

Gatomon was sitting in the large throne in her lair. The seat was too large for her, making her look like a child on a over stuffed sofa, but no one dared mention this to her. She was examining Datamon's and Vademon's newest device in her hand when Devimon walked through the door, a motionless Tai under his arm.  
  
"Devimon, welcome back." She jumped off the chair and walked towards him. "You know it's consider polite to knock before entering. I don't want to have to delete you for disobedience."  
  
An evil laughter from Devimon filled the room. "Come on, Gatomon, I know you brought the others back from deletion mainly as cannon fodder, but you brought me back for another reason."  
  
Gatomon smiled at him. "True, we've have a mutual acquaintance, who speaks very highly of you I must add." She laughed as well. "But I digress, we have more important business to take care off."  
  
"Of course." Devimon threw Tai on the floor. "One digidestined for your collection."  
  
"Nicely done Devimon. Ogremon!" The greenish brute came though the door. "Take this human trash and lock him with our other prisoner." Ogremon wordlessly picked up Tai and carried him over shoulder to the dungeon. Gatomon turned back to the table. "It's a good thing you captured a human. My little pet project needs a human guinea pig to test on, seeing as it worked so well on a digimon one. Tai will do nicely."  
  
The doors suddenly burst open. Devimon and Gatomon whirled around and saw Metaletemon in front of them. His armored hide was cracked in a dozen places. His glasses where shattered and he had troubled standing. Gatomon walked towards him, "What happened to you? Don't tell me Metalgarurumon is back in the picture. It can't be Wargreymon, we have Tai here."  
  
Metaletemon collapsed in the chair that Gatomon was sitting in. He struggled with his words. "No, It was one of …the digidestined."  
  
Gatomon looked at him like he was crazy and then began to laugh. "Your telling me that one of the digidestined did this to you? In case you didn't realize it, humans don't have powers like us digimon."  
  
A metal fist slammed on the table. "This one did! The one that's always fiddling with the computer and that tattoo on his hand!"  
  
"The one called Izzy?" Devimon immediately came to attention. "Had a tattoo on his hands and powers like a digimon?" Devimon started to laugh. "I can't believe it! All that time he was on File Island and I never noticed! He must be the one!"  
  
"I don't see what so humorous! Un huh, That kid kicked my mega metal ass good, and he didn't even look like he was trying!" Metaletemon lowered his voice. "You don't stand a chance against him, Un huh."  
  
Devimon walked towards Metaletemon slumping form. "We don't need to defeat him, he's one of us. I'll go and bring him back here out of his own free will. Where did you spot him?" Metaletemon told him where to find Izzy, and with that Devimon flew out the window.  
  
Gatomon turned his back towards Metaletemon. "That'll be all, you can go." Metaletemon started to get up from the chair. "Oh by the way," she whipped out her remote and pressed a button. 100 000 volts seared through Metaletemon's body, causing him to writhe in pain. "Next time, knock. Now get the hell out of here."  
  
Metaletemon crawled on his hands and knees out of the room as fast as he could.  
  
  
  
Gomamon was asleep in the corner of his cell when he heard the door open. He jumped up, expecting yet another encounter with Gatomon. He was somewhat relieved when it was only Ogremon, but he was disappointed again when he saw Tai's slumped form was thrown in the cell. He ran over to Tai's body, "Are you ok? Tai wake up!"  
  
Tai opened his eyes and looked at Gomamon, "I'm fine, I was just playing possum so I could listen in an Gatomon and Devimon. I'm glad to see you're alright," he looked over Gomamon and noticed he looked racked and exhausted. "Are you all right? Has she been torturing you?"  
  
Gomamon involuntarily let out a little chuckle; "It depends on your meaning of the word." Tai looked at him like he was nuts, so Gomamon quickly changed the subject. "Did you learn anything?"  
  
Tai nodded his head. "Devimon and Gatomon both know somebody, but I don't know who. In fact Gatomon was never on File Island, so I don't anybody they both can know. Also, I don't believe this myself, but Etemon's back as a Mega digimon, Metaletemon."  
  
Gomamon sighed, "I don't believe it either."  
  
"That's not the hard to believe part, when I saw him he was hovering on the brink of deletion, and apparently Izzy was the one who did it to him."  
  
"Well, that's good for Tentomon and Izzy." Gomamon nodded.  
  
"No, Izzy by himself! And Devimon seemed to think this was hilarious. This whole thing seemed to make sense to him as well. That's the weird thing"  
  
Gomamon shook his head, "Well it doesn't to me, but nothing makes sense now a days. Gatomon's betrayal, Izzy's superpowers. I don't know what to do anymore."  
  
"Well you can both start by putting your hands up."  
  
Tai and Gomamon where so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice Gatomon walk in their cell. On either side of her a Tankmon stood ready to fire. Tai and Gomamon quickly put their hands as high as they could reach. "Now then Tai, I'd like to borrow your crest for a minute please." Tai's hand wrapped around the golden trinket as if to protect it. The Tankmon then raised their nose cannon directly at him and Tai quickly realized he had no choice. He removed the crest and threw it at Gatomon. Gatomon snatched it out of mid-air and turned around examining it. "Nice craftsmanship." She remarked as she turned back towards Tai and tossed the crest back.  
  
Tai caught the crest and put it back around his neck. Suddenly the crest began to glow, except now it was glowing black. "What's going on?" Tai screamed.  
  
Gatomon was smiling now. "What you have there is a little project my scientists Datamon and Betamon whipped up. In case you hadn't noticed, there is a little disk on the back of the crest, changing the crest into the anti version of the crest. Since each of you children has a dominant emotion, that crest removes it and allows the opposite negative emotion to take over. For Matt, we have the crest of enemies. Izzy is the crest of ignorance. Sora is hate, TK is despair, Kari is darkness, Mimi is deceit, and Joe is failure. And we have one for you too." She motioned to Tai's chest. "That one you have on now is called the crest of fear. Appropriate, n'est pas?"  
  
"Leave him alone!" Gomamon charged Gatomon. Gatomon was expecting this though. She threw another black gear that connected with Gomamon in mid air. Gomamon tried to shift his position in mid-air, but the gear still collided with his back flipper. The gear quickly buried itself down in Gomamon's body. When Gomamon landed he was back to his evil self. He looked back at Tai and realized he couldn't care less. He walked up to Gatomon and kissed her once on the cheek.  
  
"In a minute." Gatomon chuckled as she playfully pushed Gomamon away.  
  
"What did you do to him you feline bitch!" Tai angrily yelled. The crest on his chest grew dark black. Tai suddenly clutched his chest. He could literally feel his emotions drain away from him. The feeling was indescribable, almost like being drunk, yet his senses where heightened instead of dulled.  
  
Gatomon laughed. "You see, now whenever you lose control of you negative emotions, they consume you. Like the black gears, it's only temporary, and you will regain your composure in a little bit, but for what I have in mind it's all I need. You become evil, it's an unusual feeling when it comes over you, but you feel so much better when it's all over." Tai looked down at Gatomon, his eyes looked hard and dark under his brown hair. Gatomon stepped forward, "The funny thing about true evil is, you don't go out killing and maiming at random. True evil is when you allow you passions, desires to take over. You do for you alone, anyone else is inconsequential." Gatomon ran her paw through Gomamon's bright red mohawk, who was standing right beside her. "Isn't that right Gomamon?"  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
Tai got up and sat with his back against the wall. Gatomon curled up on his chest purring. "Now then, now that I did a favor for you, freeing you from your morals, I need you to do one for me."  
  
"What do you want?' Tai asked.  
  
"Nothing much," Gatomon replied, "Just any news about where your friends are, or anything else that might be of use. You want this war of ours to end quickly right?"  
  
"Your right, Gatomon." Tai agreed. "I don't know where anybody is, but Gennai gave us this prophecy." Tai took a scrap piece of paper and pen that he had in his pockets and wrote down what Gennai had sent him.  
  
The fallen angel shall show herself  
  
In the guise of a friend  
  
The sky shall turn dark  
  
And friends shall become foes  
  
She shall then raise the defeated and destroyed  
  
To take their revenge against the ones who banished them  
  
To the state of none-being  
  
The son of fallen angels  
  
Shall reveal his power  
  
To save a loved one  
  
The chosen ones shall than be tempted by the dark side  
  
To let their evil selves take control  
  
Then the fallen one shall reveal herself  
  
In her true form  
  
And then we shall see friends reunited  
  
With the writings from the past  
  
Hidden under the cover of shame  
  
To travel back to the past  
  
And the writer of these prophecies shall be revealed  
  
Tai continued, "The last line was damaged, so we don't know it."  
  
Gatomon nodded in thought. "That's good, it helps my plans." She climbed off Tai's chest, and walked over the now sleeping form of Gomamon. "You two stay here. You're going to just hate yourselves when you come to. I don't think you'll like me quite as much in an hour or so. But we can always play later." And she walked out of the cell door, locking it behind her.  
  
  
  
Gatomon was relaxing in her gigantic chair after her little escapade with Tai and Gomamon. These black gears and anti-crests are going to provide her with more entertainment, especially after she finishing capturing the remaining digidestined. The prophecy had intrigued her though. The fallen angel line intrigued her, since only her and Devimon knew the true meaning. The digidestined probably had the completely wrong idea of who it was referring to. A knock at the door diverted her attention from her thoughts. She grinned; glad that her knock before entering rule was being followed. "Enter."  
  
A Geckomon bowed low as he entered. Gatomon smiled; the black gears worked well, to bad they only affected Data and Vaccine digimon by turning them into virtually mindless puppets. That's been why she's had to use other methods to control Puppetmon, Metaletemon, and the other Viral digimon. Betamon and Datamon may be Data type as well, but she needed their skills. The black gears would have removed all that. She motioned for the Geckomon slave to move forward. "Your report scout."  
  
The Geckomon bowed again. "Yes, your empress." Gatomon liked that title; maybe she'll keep it when she rules both worlds. The Geckomon continued speaking. "Our scouts have located the ones you call TK and Kari in the valley to the north. They appear to be alone. Shall we dispatch one of your viral servants to capture them?"  
  
Gatomon got up from her chair. "No need, I could use the exercise. Besides, I would like to capture Kari personally. After all, I am her digimon." 


	8. Not The Bid Bad Wolf...

During the battle with Gatomon's army, TK was separated from Matt in the fog. He stumbled wildly in the haze until he found Kari. He was excited to see a friendly face in all the confusion, but before he could even gasp a word, an enormous white hand flew out of the fog and wrapped around Kari's body. TK followed the hand to its owner, an enraged Frigimon. The snowman digimon hadn't noticed TK, who was on the ground, petrified. He could see Kari turning blue in the digimon's icy grip. Adrenaline rushed into his tiny body. He remembered on old line from a movie he and Matt where watching, and weren't supposed to. "He could be the biggest guy in the world, but if you hit him in the knee he'll go down like a ton of bricks."  
  
TK ran forward as fast as he cold and tackled Frigimon in the back of his back left knee. The digimon's knee snapped forwards involuntarily, causing him to lose his balance as well as his grip on Kari. Kari fell to the ground and TK rushed to her side. TK picked up Kari with an almost super human effort, but the enraged Frigimon had risen to his feet. "Sub-Zero Ice Punch!"  
  
Quickly, TK pulled Kari to side and rolled. The ice digimon's fist collided with the rock, forming a long ice path down the hill into the fog. Thinking quickly, TK threw Kari on a log and pushed the log with all his strength. Frigimon came up behind him and just before he threw his second punch, the log started moving down the ice slide. TK jumped on as the makeshift sled picked up speed, leaving their enraged former friend in the fog behind them.  
  
The sled was still picking up speed as it traveled down a snow-filled valley. Finally, the ride came to an abrupt halt as the log sled collided into a snow bank. TK and Kari both went flying and landed in the soft snow. TK picked himself out of the bank, spitting out a mouth full of snow on to the ground. He wiped the snow from his eyes, looking for his friend. "Kari? Are you all right?"  
  
TK crawled over to Kari's form. She was shivering hard and her lips were turning blue. Her contact with Frigimon as well as the sub-zero temperature now had taken their toll. She was semi-conscious, and deliriously mumbling to herself. TK picked Kari up and carried her to a small cave he noticed in the side of the mountain. Shoving as a hard as he could, he pushed a rock in front of the entrance so the wind wouldn't blow from outside.  
  
When the entrance was completely blocked up, he noticed then that there was a red glow on the side of the cave. A fireplace had been built into the rock; a small fire was just barely burning. TK picked up some wood that was lying in the cave and threw it on the dying fire, hoping to get the blaze going again. He blew on the red coals, until a few pieces of kindling began to catch fire. TK turned his attention back to Kari. Kari was still blue, her fingernails had the most sickening shade of the colour he had ever seen.  
  
Gently, TK picked up Kari's hands and began to blow on them lightly. He then rubbed her hands in his palms in order to try to get some of the circulation back in them. The fire was slowly warming up the place, and he could see the colour slowly coming back to Kari's face. A wave of exhaustion finally ran over TK as the adrenaline cleared from his system. A small table and chair sat in the room with a pitcher of water, so he had a quick drink of water to refresh himself. He made sure Kari was close to the fire, and then he curled up in a ball and fell asleep.  
  
  
  
A little while later, TK was awoken from a deep slumber. He heard crying from the in the cave. He got up and saw Kari had awakened, but she was sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the fireplace. TK didn't know what to do. He first pretended he was asleep but he decided he needed to do something. He got up and quietly sat next to Kari. Kari continued crying for a few minutes as he placed his arm on Kari's shoulder. Kari finally stopped crying hard enough for her to speak. She turned towards TK and whispered, "Do you hate me?"  
  
The question left TK completely dumbstruck. He had expected her to say a thousand different things, but this was not one of them. "How could you even ask that?" he shouted with a surprised tone in his voice.  
  
A sniffle came from Kari as she continued. "Gatomon was my digimon. I thought she changed when she left Myotismon, but she was just pretending." Another sniffle. "I was sure she was good! I trusted her, and look what happened. She turned on us, scattered our friends, and Frigimon nearly killed me." A thought dawned in her mind. "How did I get away from Frigimon?"  
  
TK blushed, "I sort of tackled him and he dropped you. I picked you up and I threw you on a log and we sledded to safety." He tried to sound humble, but it still made him sound like a hero.  
  
A strange feeling came over came over Kari. TK had done this before. He had protected her from Piedmon, and now he had taken on Frigimon all by himself. "You risked yourself for me again?" Kari smiled, "Your always there for me, like Gatom..." Her voice trailed off and she began crying again. "She can't be evil! She just can't!"  
  
"She's not!" TK screamed. Kari looked at him. "You and I both know that's not Gatomon, or at least the Gatomon who stood up against Myotismon for you and all of us."  
  
Kari just sat there, silent. After a few minutes of awkward silence TK suggested that they both get under the covers together so they could keep each other warm. So they snuggled up and went to sleep.  
  
TK and Kari had been asleep snuggled in one another's arms for hours, basking in the glow of heat from the fireplace. Suddenly, they where awaked by a knocking outside. TK and Kari quickly got up in a heartbeat. "Who's there?" TK asked.  
  
A voice came from the other side of the rock. "Little human, little human let me in." A giggle came from the other side.  
  
TK resisted a huge urge to reply not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin, and instead replied "Who's out there?"  
  
His reply was a loud crack as the rock shattered into pieces. In the dark they saw two red eyes coming from the darkness. The eyes stepped forward and their eyes adjusted to the small form in front of them. Kari had tears in her eyes when she announced the form, "Gatomon?"  
  
Gatomon walked forward so she was clearly shown in the glow of the fireplace. Her red eyes scanned the scene around her. "The one and only." 


	9. Sins of the Father

Izzy had been staring at his hands for nearly three hours. Sora had gotten up and dressed herself. She wanted to comfort Izzy, but what do you say to someone who had just discovered they have super powers? She just sat there, watching Izzy as he sat motionless. Finally he looked up at Sora, "What am I?"  
  
Sora was glad Izzy was finally speaking, although he couldn't have asked her a more difficult question. But she knew the answer. "You're a kind, sweet, loving boy Izzy, you and I both know that."  
  
"No I'm not." Izzy replied quietly. "Boys don't fly. Boys don't shoot energy bolts. Boys don't defeat super-powered beings."  
  
"You're still kind, sweet, and loving. We know that for a fact. You saved me from Metaletemon. You've been in danger yourself numerous times, but when I was in danger you found the power within you to save me."  
  
A smile crept across Izzy's face. "You know what, you're right. When you where in peril, I realized I had to do something, anything. That's when that feeling came over me. I surmise that, I love you Sora. That's what activated my powers."  
  
Sora got up and smiled at Izzy. She walked over and hugged Izzy. "I love you too, Izzy."  
  
Izzy and Sora had cleaned up and now sat together on the hillside, watching the sunset. Izzy was happy in a way he's never felt before. Even with all the insanity going about in the digital world, he was happy. He never fit in, never had any real close friends, but now he felt like he belonged somewhere. He turned and smiled at Sora, who returned the gesture. It seemed no matter what happened, nothing could go wrong.  
  
Suddenly, a dark voice suddenly came from the skies above them "Ah I've been looking for you, my friends."  
  
Their gaze went upwards, and Devimon flew down and landed between them. Izzy put himself in front on Sora, hoping his power would kick in again. He summoned up his courage and spoke to Devimon. "Listen you, just go back from where you came from. Don't get me acrimonious! I can delete you all over again." Izzy hoped that Devimon didn't here the quivering in his voice.  
  
"I believe that." Devimon nodded. "I saw what you did to Metaletemon. He may be an idiot, but he is more powerful than I am." Devimon held up his hands in a mocking gesture. "Anyway I do not wish to battle you, I merely wish to talk.  
  
Sora spoke up from behind Izzy. "Well we don't!"  
  
Devimon cast an evil glare to the young girl. "I did not ask you. My business is with the one called Izzy."  
  
"Well I wish to converse either. Our last conversation mainly consisted of you telling us how you want us destroyed." Izzy angrily replied.  
  
A smile flashed on Devimon's face. "If I had known who you where truly where, I would not have attempted to harm you. Far from it, I would have had you join me."  
  
Izzy actually laughed at this. "And why do I elicit special attention?"  
  
"Simple," Devimon paused a moment for the drama, "Izzy, I am your father."  
  
Izzy and Sora where both left speechless for almost a minute. Sora spoke first. "You've seen The Empire Strikes Back one too many times."  
  
"I know not what your insane babbling is about," Devimon stared at Sora again. "But I do know I speak the truth."  
  
Izzy stuttered out, "Your more insane than I originally hypothesized!"  
  
"Really?" Devimon turned back to Izzy. "Let me explain your history. You where adopted when you where a young child. Your original parents died in a car crash and you where raised by their cousins. You never fit in as a child, feeling you where different. You are exceptionally talented with computers, and can instantly read huge lines of codes and understand them."  
  
Izzy's mouth was wide open in speechless wonder. Devimon continued, "You see, several years ago you mother and I where sent as scouts by Piedmon to your world. We took the forms of humans in order to mask our appearance and avoid attention. During our stay, you mother and I copulated. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that on your world, the young our carried inside of the female, instead of being hatched from eggs. You where born, but there where complications. Since we where not in the digiworld when you where born, you had a human appearance. We tried to send you back, but we could not since your program was incompatible. I can only guess your digivice made it possible for you to return to your true home. Because we could not bring you back, we found suitable parents. Using my hypnotism, I convinced you adoptive parents that we where their cousins. We staged the phony accident shortly after. In fact, the portal we left in allowed that Koromon and Parrotmon to escape into your world. That was when Gennai and his friends scanned you and the other digidestined. And the rest is as we say, is history." Another laugh sparked form Devimon. "How ironic that my own son turns out to be one of the digidestined! How truly ironic!"  
  
The rational part of Izzy's brain found that the story made sense, but is emotions prevailed. "You're lying, you bastard!"  
  
A slight scowl appeared on Devimon's. "I assure you I am not. How else would I know your history in such detail? How else would you have powers far beyond that of mortal men? And we left a reminder just in case we found some way to bring our son back to the digital world. Remove your gloves and hold out you hands."  
  
Izzy, still not sure why he was listening to Devimon, removed his gloves and held his hand out. He almost never removed his gloves for anyone, because of that birthmark. The birthmark He held his palm towards Devimon, looking at the orange bat-shaped mark on the back of his hand. His gaze then turned towards Devimon's chest. The shape of the insignia on Devimon, was EXACTLY the same! A thousand emotions, questions and feelings hit Izzy at once, but he just looked at Devimon, a stunned expression on his face. He realized that Devimon was not lying, that everything he said was the truth.  
  
Devimon smiled once again. "You see my child? We tattooed you with the mark of Devimon, so that if we ever met again we would be able to prove who we are." Izzy still stood silent, digesting all the information that has happened. "I know you have many questions that you want answered. Come with me Izzy, I shall tell you all you need to know. Your mother, your past, and your future."  
  
Sora, who was standing next to Izzy the whole time, grabbed Izzy's arm. "I don't care how you think you know Izzy, but he would never leave with the likes of you!"  
  
"Yes, I will"  
  
"Izzy, are you nuts! That Devimon! He tried to kill us all on File Island!" Sora was next to hysterics.  
  
Izzy looked at Sora and held her hands. "I know that it sounds illogical. But I need to know. I'm sorry." Izzy turned back towards Devimon. "I am ready to go."  
  
Devimon wrapped his arm around Izzy and with a great flap of his wings, flew into the skies towards Gatomon's palace. Sora was still screaming, "IZZY! You don't know what you're doing!" But her voice was carried away by the wind as father and son flew off. 


	10. Deal with the Devil

Palmon ran as fast as she could through the forest. She had been running for hours, but her eyes where still filled with tears. She knew she had to escape, since she had the only two digivices and Izzy's computer which she scooped up as well. But still, Tai had been beaten and captured. He had even risked his life for her even after she insulted him. She also knew that she was almost ready to attack him, until Devimon had dropped down between them. She was so unaware of her surroundings that she did not even notice the forest was thinning out, and slowly turning into a city. She did however notice when she heard her name screamed.  
  
Awoken from her catatonic state, she whirled around, almost happy that she had an enemy to lash out at. But she was even more happy when she discovered it was Agumon, Patamon, and, "Mimi!" Palmon ran forward, dropping the computer and wrapping her hands around Mimi's neck as she bent down. She was still crying as she expressed her joy, "I was so worried about you! After the fog, Tai's..capture, I didn't know what to do." Palmon buried her face in Mimi's dress, letting all of her emotions come out.  
  
Mimi just stood silent, stroking the back of Palmon's head. "There, there, Palmon." She replied when Palmon had stopped crying enough for her to be heard, "We're together now, and we've got Patamon and Agumon with us too."  
  
"That's right!" Patamon happily replied. "We'll be with our friends in no time!"  
  
A thousand pellets of energy landed around them in a heartbeat, throwing the group to the ground. "You've got that right! In the next cell!" Puppetmon laughed from atop of the log cabin.  
  
"You again!" Agumon angrily cried. "I thought we dropped the curtain on your act!"  
  
Puppetmon laughed in his childish voice. "This is the encore presentation." He leaped down to face Patamon and Agumon. Palmon was standing by Mimi's slumped form. A large cut on her head was dripping blood.  
  
"Mimi! Wake up! Are you all right?" Palmon cried, but Mimi just lay motionless on the street. Behind her, Patamon and Agumon's brave stand quickly came to a close as Puppetmon quickly knocked them both into the cabin, where they did not emerge.  
  
"BWHAHAHAHA!" Puppetmon's maniacal laughter filled the air as he turned around and started walking towards Palmon. "Three down, one to go. Sigh, I almost wish their was something more challenging. This game is boring."  
  
Palmon stood up, fire in her eyes. "You heartless creature." she whirled around, "How dare you and your kind hurt my friends!" Suddenly, one of the Digivices Palmon had on her began to grow brightly. Palmon realized that, it was hers! And that Mimi was here, that meant, "Palmon digivolve to TOGEMON!" Not even pausing to catch her breath she went on, "Togemon digivolve to LILLYMON!" She screamed as she flew out of her flower.  
  
Lillymon landed in front of Puppetmon, who stood their grinning. "Well, well, This may be a minor challenge, but face it lady, I'm still a mega digimon and your only an ultimate."  
  
Lillymon turned back to Mimi for a brief instant, and her anger welled up inside her. "You wanted a challenge? You've got it!" And with that she flew towards Puppetmon, landing a right hook on his wooden jaw.  
  
The wooden digimon rolled on the ground landing on his feet. "Puppet pummel!" He shouted firing blasts of energy in the air. Lillymon skated on the skies like a waterbug, not one of the energy pellets coming close.  
  
"I've improved." Lillymon told Puppetmon as he stood there with an enraged look on his face. She placed her hand together, "Flower Cannon!" and fired a blast, at Puppetmon, who was just able to block it in time with his mallet.  
  
Puppetmon grimaced under the force of the blast. "This is fun, but you have an appointment with Gatomon." He raised his hands, and strings shot out from them. Lillymon tried to dodge them, but they followed her like snakes, until they latched on to her gloves, boots, and dress. Lillymon struggled as she was pulled down from the skies, but the strings grip was to great. "That was a fun game, but playtime's over." Puppetmon sneered, angry that she had given him so much trouble. "Now, to take you and the others back to Gatomon."  
  
"Pepper Breath!" "Boom Bubble!" Puppetmon had been so intent on Lillymon, he had failed to notice the other two digimon crawl out of the cabin. They had each fired a blast into Puppetmon's face. While this didn't hurt him, he was blinded for a second from the light of the micro-explosion. When his vision cleared, he angrily tossed what he thought was Lillymon at the two rookie digimon. A clear expression of shock spread across his face as instead of a large flower fairy, a few large flower petals collided with Agumon and Patamon. Puppetmon quickly turned around, his face barely an inch away from Lillymon's fully primed flower cannon. In the brief distraction that her friends had provided her, Lillymon sprouted petals from her gloves, boots and dress. Luckily, Puppetmon had neglected to attach any strings to her flesh, so she was free.  
  
Puppetmon shudder involuntarily just before Lillymon whispered, "Boom." A huge burst of energy flew from her hands directly in his face at point blank range. Puppetmon released a high pitched scream as he flew into the cabin, which shattered around him. Before he could recover, Lillymon rushed forward, a lasso made of flowers instantly formed in her hands. She ensnared the virus-type so that only his head was out, and removed his mallet from his slumped grasp. Lillymon then stepped back, ready to release another blast onto her weakened foe. Just before she released her deathblow, Agumon and Patamon grasped her from behind. "Let me go! He killed Mimi! He deserves it!"  
  
"No he didn't! Mimi's just unconscious." Patamon announced. Lillymon turned around, her rage subsiding. She saw that while Mimi was still out of it, but clearly breathing up and down.  
  
Lillymon flew over to Mimi and stroked her hair. She lifted her gently and carried her inside another undamaged cabin, and placed her on the couch. She plucked a petal from her head, and crushed it in her palm. She then rubbed the salve on Mimi's head wound, knowing it would act as a painkiller as well as a sedative to help her sleep it off.  
  
"Is she comfortable?" Agumon asked, dragging the slumped form of Puppetmon behind him with the flower leash Lillymon had tied on. Patamon flew over Agumon's head into the cabin as well.  
  
"Yes," Lillymon turned around as Agumon locked Puppetmon in the cupboard. "My flowers will keep him powerless as long as he wrapped in them. But why did you keep me from deleting Puppetmon? After what he did to Mimi!" She stood up over the two smaller digimon.  
  
Lillymon," Patamon said. "We need to rescue our friends from Gatomon. Puppetmon's our only link to figure why Gatomon turned against us, and what she is planning to do with us."  
  
Agumon had pretty much the same idea. "As long as we got Puppetmon, he can't hurt anyone, and he'll have to help us."  
  
Lillymon had accepted their answer and decided to check up on Mimi. She was resting comfortably, the wound already looked like it was closing already. She remembered she had something to give to Mimi before she forgot. She placed her hand into Mimi's bag when she heard movement beside her.  
  
"How is she doing?" Agumon had cleaned himself up and stood next to her, barely standing as high as her knee. Patamon was flying just over Agumon's head, staring at Mimi's wound.  
  
Lillymon removed her hand from Mimi's purse. "She's fine, and I'm doing better to." She smiled at her friends beside her.  
  
"Excuse me!" Everyone's attention was diverted to the voice from the closet. "Did we forget about someone?"  
  
Lillymon flew over to the closet and pulled out the evil marionette. Puppetmon grinned as Lillymon held him up to her face. "What do you want? I still think I should vaporize you before you give us more trouble."  
  
Puppetmon chuckled. He had a plan. While the flowers prevented him from using his powers, he had managed to slip his hand into his pocket, and work it out of the flowers. After the group escaped the first time, he went back to the castle. While he was there, Gatomon gave him a toy that would be very useful right about now. "You know what cutie?" He smiled at the angry look he got from Lillymon. "You're right, you should have deleted me."  
  
Puppetmon placed his hand on Lillymon. Lillymon screamed as Puppetmon pulled it away and she dropped him. She had just enough time to see the black gear burrow itself into her skin before she felt her positive emotions wash away.  
  
"Lillymon? What's wrong?" Agumon pushed Puppetmon away and grabbed her hand.  
  
Lillymon stared down at the small dinosaur. "You're wrong." One quick backhand sent Agumon flying unconscious into the floor. Patamon only had time to squeak out a "Huh?" before Lillymon kicked him into the corner next to Agumon.  
  
"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Puppetmon laughed from his flower cocoon. "It's good to see you come to our side. We need some more female companionship on our team."  
  
Lillymon whirled around and pulled Puppetmon up by the collar. "Who said I was on your team?" She threw Puppetmon down on the ground. "I'm evil now, and revenge against you is right near the top of my list." Her flower cannon formed on her hands, inches away from his face.  
  
"But you don't want to hurt me, 'cause you might get hurt yourself" he said, "but if you work with me then the rewards could be great."  
  
"Give me one good reason why should I trust you?"  
  
"Because," Puppetmon winked, "I'm may be a cruel, vindictive, homicidal, and psychopathic, but I am no liar."  
  
Lillymon smirked and withdrew the cannon back. "Good point." She made a gesture with her hand and the flowers disappeared from Puppetmon. He jumped up and walked over to the slumped forms of Agumon and Patamon. He held out his hands and strings shot all around them. The two fallen hero's got up and started walking towards the door, still clearly asleep.  
  
"Shall we?" Puppetmon motioned to the castle in the distance.  
  
Anger filled up in Lillymon as she waited for her revenge. "We shall." And the group started towards the castle. 


	11. Crest of Despair

I must say I'm impressed." Gatomon walked around the dimly lit cave, looking back and forth at TK and Kari, and casually warmed her hands in the fireplace. "When I heard how you TK, took on Frigimon and escaped with Kari, I was struck. You never cease to amaze me. But I digress, the game is over." Her eyes flashed red in the wake of the roaring fire. "Come along quietly you two, and you won't get hurt."  
  
Her eyes gazed over the two young children. Kari was sitting cross-legged on the floor crying. TK, her eyebrow twitched up, was slowing inching his way to the small table in the room. Quickly, he grabbed the pitcher, and held it in his hand, ready to fling it. "Ever the hopeful one, aren't you TK." Gatomon laughed, "The crest of hope fits you so well, you hope to defeat me, who's taken on champion digimon without batting an eye, with a water pitcher." She laughed.  
  
TK didn't answer, but flung the pitcher in her direction. The pitcher missed her head, she didn't even half to move. She was about to make fun of his throw when the pitched crashed into the fire directly behind her. The water instantly turned to steam, scalding Gatomon's back. She released a scream of surprise and anger as the room filled up with steam, blocking her view. She heard TK yell "Run Kari!" And saw two blurry figures run towards the door.  
  
Enraged, Gatomon tackled the closest one, bringing TK down as his helmet flew into the corner. She pinned him down by the neck with one paw and drew her claw back ready to strike. "You're lucky I want you alive for now. You never cease to amaze me, TK. You found hope in a hopeless solution. Well, Kari won't get far. Ogremon is right outside this cave; she is no doubt in my custody now. But I am far from through with you." She pulled him up by his crest, and slipped another black disk from under her glove, and slapped it on underneath. She then threw TK in the corner. "Now you are going to make up for hurting me." She hauled TK up by his collar again. "You hate me don't you?"  
  
Bravely, TK shook his head. "No I don't, this isn't you Gatomon. Kari knows it so I know it."  
  
"Kari's a fool." Gatomon laughed. "A trusting, naÃ¯ve fool."  
  
"Don't you dare talk about Kari like that!" TK's crest started to glow black.  
  
Gatomon continued, knowing she found a weak spot in TK's armor. "She was always the weak one. She nearly got us all killed with Myotismon, she nearly died in the desert outside Machinedramon city, she nearly died here with Frigimon. She is a pathetic, sorry excuse for a human, let alone a digidestined."  
  
TK looked down on her with such fury. "You witch! You fucking bitch!" Gatomon actually looked on in surprise, to find out TK even knew such words. "How dare you talk like that about her. You can go to hell!" And with that last remark, TK's crest turned black. A feeling of utter despair washed over him. TK now thought to himself, she's right. Kari's weak. He's weak. They all were weak. They never had a chance, and never did. TK fell limp in Gatomon's grasp.  
  
Gatomon released TK as he gently fell to his knees. "Good, I see the crest of despair is working nicely. I think we can leave now." TK got up and slowly walked towards the door.  
  
Gatomon walked out of the cave, the dejected TK by her side. "Ogremon!" She called. The green giant lumbered in front of them. "Where is Kari?"  
  
Ogremon bowed. "She ran off in that direction mistress." Motioning towards the forest.  
  
"What!?" Gatomon backhanded Ogremon's face. "Why didn't you stop her?"  
  
A thin trickle of blood dripped down Ogremon's cut lips. "I was ordered to wait out here. I was not told to capture digidestined."  
  
Gatomon grimaced. Ogremon wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. She figured the black gear in him must have removed what little IQ he possessed in the first place. "All right then. TK, you will be taken back to tower, Ogremon here will go with you. You will not stray from your path, understand?"  
  
"Yes." TK nodded in defeat.  
  
"Yes my master." Ogremon nodded. Two Mechanorimon appeared from the skies. Gatomon had summoned them with a remote control hidden in her glove. One picked up TK, the other was straining to lift Ogremon. Quickly they flew towards the castle in the distance.  
  
Gatomon turned back towards the castle. "Oh well," She said out loud to no one in particular. "I'm always up for a little cat and mouse." And she sprung off into the forest. 


	12. Hell has no Fury

Tai and Gomamon sat dejected in opposite corners of the cell. Even now they both really had no control over themselves, they felt like, and in fact had betrayed their friends. And it was true, the emotions they felt where always present inside of them, just buried down deep, but still there. Tai felt especially low, since he had told Gatomon the prophecy. While he had not been able to make heads or tails of it, it clearly meant something to Gatomon. That could only mean trouble. To make matters worse, when Tai tried to remove the crest from around his neck, he was rewarded with an electrical shock, so he had to keep his crest on him. He knew had to keep his emotions in check or risk turning evil again. They where so out of it, they didn't even notice the cell door open. However, they did hear someone A-hem very loudly.  
  
The two turned and faced the cell door. Utter delight filled the two of them when they saw Lillymon standing before them. "All right we're free!" Tai shouted as he and Gomamon rushed to the door. They quickly halted in their tracks though when Puppetmon stepped out from behind her.  
  
"Lillymon?" Gomamon stared at the unlikely pair, "What's going on?"  
  
Puppetmon laughed his annoying laugh as Lillymon just stood there staring directly at Tai, not even noticing Gomamon. The evil marionette spoke for her. "She and Tai have a few things to talk about." He reached down and grabbed Gomamon by the red mohawk. "You can wait in the cell with your friends as they have their private discussion." Lillymon took a step in as Puppetmon shut the door, carrying a cussing Gomamon away.  
  
"Lillymon, what are you doing?" Tai angrily asked. He could feel his crest start to glow black again, and he quickly forced his emotions in check.  
  
The flower cannon formed in Lillymon's hand, and fired a blast. It wasn't aimed directly at Tai, but a little to his left. Just enough for Tai to throw himself to the ground. He looked back towards the scorched wall, slightly surprised that it was still standing. "Piedmon must have some good contractors." He thought briefly to himself.  
  
Tai's architectural analysis was halted when Lillymon lifted him up by the collar of his shirt. She was hovering a few inches off the ground as Tai's feet dangled nearly a foot. "You scum! How dare you treat me like dirt." She shook him by the collar. "You left me to Die!."  
  
"Wait a second!" Tai put his hands on Lillymon wrist to keep himself from choking. "I didn't run off, Devimon dragged me off remember?" Lillymon just growled at him as she tightened her grip. Tai tried to pull up on her wrist but he was starting to black out. He thought to himself how ironic, all the evil digimon they battled, and here they he was about to be killed by a friend. "Wait a minute," He thought to himself. His hands felt something underneath his glove. A black gear was partially sticking out of her wrist. "That's why she's gone ballistic." Gripping hard, he yanked the offending device out of her. Lillymon screamed as if someone had removed an arrow from her. Tai collapsed to the ground, rubbing his neck and gasping in big breaths of air. The black gear disintegrated in his hand. His gaze then returned to Lillymon.  
  
She was on the ground on her knees, crying hysterically. Tai painfully got up and stood over her. "Are you all right?"  
  
"How could I?" She screamed. She looked up at Tai, tears welled up in her eyes. "I nearly killed you Tai. I'm no better than a virus."  
  
"Calm down." Comforted Tai. "You had a black gear in you. You couldn't help yourself."  
  
"But I wanted to hurt you." Lillymon resumed crying. "Even in the forest, I wanted to hurt you. I wanted you to suffer."  
  
Tai,realizing that the black gear must have affected her memory, reached out and put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "I think I deserved it," he said tring to play along, " or at least part of it." Lillymon look up at him. "It's true. I was a little bit of a jerk in the forest." He placed his hand under her chin. "And I did hurt one of the sweetest digimon in the entire digital world."  
  
"Lets just call it even, OK?" said Lillymon.  
  
"Deal. So now what do we do?"  
  
"Well, I'll tell you one thing, we aren't staying in this cell a second longer." Lillymon's hands morphed into her weapon, which she aimed at the door. "Flower cannon!" And a ball of energy collided with the door. Lillymon's eyes widen when she saw she only succeeded in blackening the doorframe. "Flower Cannon!" Another blast, with the same result. "FLOWER CANNON!" Another blast, then two, three. Beads of sweats dripped down her brow as she released her tenth blast still with no avail. Finally, Lillymon sank to the ground, her energy used up. She glowed brightly, and devolved into her rookie form Palmon.  
  
"HAHAHAHA!" Puppetmon's face appeared in the barred window. "Aww, I see you're still breathing Tai. I guess you do have a way with women. Last time I talked with her, she mentioned something about stringing you by a certain part of your anatomy."  
  
"Let us go! You promised me." Palmon shook a fist at the door.  
  
"I promised I bring you to Tai. I didn't say anything about letting you go." Puppetmon waved the key in front of them. Palmon lunged, but came short much to the amusement of Puppetmon. "I'd get comfortable if I where you, you're going to be staying a while." He slammed the tiny door on the window shut. His laughter echoed down the corridor as he walked away, leaving the trapped couple behind. 


	13. Cat and Mouse

Kari ran through the forest as fast as she could. It wasn't until she turned around that she realized TK wasn't with her. She stopped, and started to scream. "TK where are you? TK!"  
  
She stopped screaming when she heard something calling behind her. Her hopes brightened, but then she made out Gatomon's voice in the distance. "TK's taking a little trip right now, but he did say that he wanted you to join him."  
  
Kari turned and started running again, tears in her eyes. She ran as fast as she could, looking behind her. Suddenly, she tripped, and fell down to her face. She looked up into Gatomon's grinning face. The feline had gotten in front of her and tripped her. "That was a fun game, my little mouse, but the game is over, my friend."  
  
Even more tears welled up in Gatomon's eyes. "How could you? We were friends, Gatomon. You saved my life!"  
  
Gatomon chuckled. "A good act, to say the least. My only friend has been power. Now get up, we have a long walk back to my lair." She laughed again, but it ended shortly when a tree branch collided with the back of her head, sending her head over heels into a bush.  
  
Kari looked up and saw Matt above her, wielding the stick like a baseball bat. She looked up happily, but turned around to Gatomon's angry scream. A slice of her claws eradicated the bushes around her as she walked towards Matt and Kari. "Nice hit, but the only chance you had against me was to hit me from behind, and don't think I'll let you do that again."  
  
Matt smiled at her. Gatomon cocked an eyebrow, shortly before a lightning bolt swerved from the sky, striking her back. She screamed again as her body made a trench in the earth. Matt smiled, "Looks like you where wrong, eh Tentomon?"  
  
Tentomon flew down from the treetops. "Your plan worked perfectly Matt! Even Izzy could learn a thing or two from you about strategy." The two had been traveling together for sometime now. They where in the forest when they heard Gatomon and Kari's voice, so they laid in wait ready to strike.  
  
Kari looked at the unmoving form of Gatomon. "Is she?" she started to cry.  
  
"Of course not." Tentomon replied. "Her body would turn to atoms if she was deleted. She must just be knocked out."  
  
"We should tie her up." Matt yanked some vines from the ground and walked over to Gatomon's slumped form. He gripped her paws and placed them together. Just before he could wrap her hands with the make shift rope, Gatomon's bright red eyes opened. "Peek-a-boo." She smiled, and brought her fists up under Matt's jaw. He fell to the ground, unconscious.  
  
Gatomon jumped to her feet and eyed Tentomon. "Here's one more lesson on strategy. Even a cat can play possum."  
  
"Kari, run!" Tentomon ordered. "I'll handle the cat."  
  
Kari took of into the forest again. Gatomon shook her head. "That girl's always running. I can't believe she was chosen to be a digidestined."  
  
"You aren't allowed to talk, traitor." Tentomon shook a talon at her.  
  
"Enough talk." Gatomon leapt forward and tackled Tentomon, pinning him to the ground. While Gatomon was much stronger than he was, Tentomon realized that was only on the ground. He quickly beat his wings and shot up into the air, with Gatomon riding on his belly. He flew so fast Gatomon was completely disoriented. They where almost forty stories high when Gatomon regained her composure enough to back hand Tentomon's face. He managed to roll with the punch and turned over throwing Gatomon off. Tentomon flew beside her on the way down. "The fall won't hurt me, cats always land on their feet."  
  
"I know, I just need a clear shot. Super shocker!" Lightning emitted from his back, but Gatomon twisted in mid-air avoiding the blast. She reached under her glove again and pulled out the all too familiar black gear. Just before Tentomon released another bolt, she hurled it at him, and it imbedded itself in his forehead as he screamed. Tentomon had come close enough so that she grabbed his front talons, and she landed gently on the ground using Tentomon as a parachute.  
  
Brushing herself off, Gatomon turned towards the new version of Tentomon. "So, are you feeling any better?"  
  
Tentomon flexed his arms. "Much."  
  
Gatomon smiled as Tentomon tried to show off for her. "So there's absolutely no need for us to continue fighting, right?"  
  
"Absolutely." The bug digimon walked up and placed a talon on her shoulder.  
  
"Now be a good little bug, and pick up Matt for me. We can continue on to the castle."  
  
Tentomon didn't need any more prodding. Flying over Matt, he placed his talons under his shoulders and picked him up. "Good." Gatomon replied. "I think that's about everything." Gatomon thought to herself for a moment. "Kari. I forgot about Kari." She stomped her paw, angry at herself for be distracted by Tentomon. A soldier should not let herself be distracted like this. She calmed down quickly though. Kari was no threat compared to Matt and Tentomon, she had no digimon. Yes, Kari could be hunted down at her leisure. She motioned to Tentomon with a single claw, "Come on Tentomon, back to the castle. I have work to do." 


	14. Crest of Ignorance

Metaletemon stormed out of his recuperation chamber, knocking a stray Otamamon into a corner. "Make way, the king is in a nasty mood today." He had spent the last several hours regaining his strength after losing a battle to Izzy. IZZY! A mere human!  
  
The metallic monkey stormed into Gatomon's chambers. "If I ever see that cocky little know-it-all." his voice trailed off as he looked down into Izzy's face.  
  
"Yes? You where remarking?" Izzy asked. Metaletemon backed away, tripping and falling on his ass, a metal echo ringing throughout the halls. He quickly turned on his hands and knees, half-crawling half-running out of Izzy's presence. They could hear his metal footsteps running down the hall until the sound quickly faded from their ears. Izzy smiled to himself. For years, he had been the victim of a seemingly endless supply of bullies. The thrill of actually being the one who instills fear, was indescribable.  
  
Devimon sat on a chair, laughing at the whole display. "You see my wayward son? We have a lot in common."  
  
"I still have nothing in common with you." Izzy said, turning back towards Devimon.  
  
"Oh come on now." Devimon grinned. "I saw that look in your eye when you saw Metaletemon cowering like a baby. Don't tell me that if I brought one of those, 'bullies' as you told me about, you wouldn't enjoy making them cringe in fear."  
  
Izzy wanted to contradict him, but he was right. He had already made plans to visit a few of his school aggressors. He chuckled at the thought of how they would feel being beaten up by Fizzy Izzy.  
  
"You see?" Devimon smiled a crooked smile. "You have the seed of evil in you."  
  
"Listen," Izzy scowled slightly at being called evil, "I only came here because you said you had some answers for me."  
  
"And you shall have them." Devimon tapped his hand on the table. "We just have to be patient."  
  
"For what?" Despite Devimon's assurances, he was becoming impatient.  
  
As if on cue, Gatomon entered the room, with Tentomon carrying Matt's slumped form. "Matt!" Izzy cried. He rushed forwards, pushing Gatomon and Tentomon out of the way. He then launched a surprised gaze at his digimon friend. "Tentomon, what are you doing?"  
  
"Matt's fine." Gatomon casually inspected her claws. "He's just sleeping. He's had a rather rough day. Tentomon," She plucked a black gear from her paw glove. "Well, let's just say he had a little change of disposition."  
  
Izzy turned towards Gatomon, his eyes starting turning red again, the black aura beginning to wrap around him. "You little bitch. How many of my friends are you going to hurt?"  
  
Gatomon waved a finger at him. "Ah ah ah ah. Now don't do something you might regret. I believe you have some questions regarding your mother, and if you delete me, you'll never get them."  
  
The aura disappeared and his eyes turned back to their normal colour as Izzy's logical side wrestled for control. "If you hurt him anymore."  
  
"You know I won't Izzy. If I wanted to destroy your friends, I would have done it on the way here. I don't wish any harm on you." Gatomon motioned to Devimon. "Be a dear and escort Tentomon to the dungeon. The black gear will be wearing of soon and he may be a little peeved."  
  
"As you wish." Devimon sat up and walked out of the room with Tentomon and Matt in tow. Gatomon took Devimon's place in the chair crossing her legs.  
  
"You know my mother, my natural mother?" Izzy asked standing crossed arm in front of the tiny figure.  
  
"We met only a short while ago." Gatomon took a file from the table and began sharpening her claws. "I must admit, she had a large impact on my life in the short time we've known each other. A powerful woman, if I do say so. But her strength was never in her power, but her brains. All the dark masters together couldn't hold a candle to the wits of her."  
  
"But who is she?" Izzy inquired.  
  
"Now, now. Enough questions about your past." Gatomon dismissed the questioning with a wave of her paw. "We need to talk about the future." She jumped down from the chair and walked over to Izzy. "Join my little army here. Not only do you have raw power, but also your computer programming skills are nearly unmatched. You would be indispensable to my operation, and you'll be the most powerful boy on Earth and the digital world."  
  
"Listen." Izzy stared down hard at Gatomon. "The only reason why I'm not disintegrating your lair is that Devimon said you had answers to my inquires. I am not a virus, regardless who or what my parents are. And I will never join you, Gatomon. I am still loyal to my friends."  
  
Gatomon sighed and walked towards the table again. "I am afraid I must insist."  
  
"You and what Mega digimon army?" Izzy stepped back, his eyes starting to turn red again, ready for another attack. One came, but not in the direction he was expecting. A small dart came whizzing through the air, hitting him in the neck. Izzy eyes turned back to normal then rolled up in the back of the head. He fell to the ground, drugged and out of it.  
  
Gatomon walked over to Izzy, kicking him once lightly in the head getting no response. "I don't need an army. I have brains. And a few brains working for me as well. Isn't that right?" Datamon walked out from his hiding place behind the picture. He resented working for this cat, but he still had no choice. "How long will he be asleep for, slave?"  
  
Datamon grimaced at the word. First a servant to a monkey now a cat. "He may have the power of a mega digimon, but physically he shares many qualities of a human." He pulled the dart from Izzy's neck. "This dart was filled with a sedative that will keep him docile for at least an hour."  
  
"That will do. Take him to your lab, and fit him with that device we talked about." Datamon growled, and grabbed Izzy by the arms, and starting dragging him away. "Wait." Gatomon walked over to Izzy, and placed a black disk on his crest. "Ok now he can go."  
  
"As you wish." Datamon answered.  
  
"No," Gatomon answered. "As I command."  
  
Datamon resisted an almost an impossible urge to attack Gatomon, but realized that would only end in his second deletion. "As you command." He choked out, pulling Izzy's form with him.  
  
  
  
Izzy awoke, his head swimming with the after affects of the drug he was pumped full with. Hie eyes strained to focus as he made out the cell around him.  
  
"Ah good, you're awake."  
  
Izzy eyes completely cleared as the form of Gatomon appeared in his eyes. "You, I should have hypothesized better than to trust you!"  
  
"You're right, you should have." Gatomon chuckled. "For someone who's so good with computers, you'd think you'd have some brains when it comes to human and digimon nature."  
  
"Why you diminutive" His eyes began to grow red again, but this time a surge of electricity flowed through him, causing him to scream. Looking down at his wrist, he saw that some one had attached a bracelet of some sort to him. "What the hell is this contraption?"  
  
"Oh that?" Gatomon eyed the device with a single raised eyebrow. "Just a little gift from me, courtesy of my two scientists. We can't have someone as powerful as you running around interfering with my plans. That device will give you a tiny little jolt every time you use your powers."  
  
Izzy looked at Gatomon with fury in is eyes. Izzy never wanted to hurt anybody before, but he wanted to now. The crest on his chest grew black; it's control sweeping over him. He fell back to the ground. "What did you do to me?" His thoughts felt muddled in confused. It was hard to think clearly.  
  
"Only single syllable words Izzy?" Gatomon laughed. "I forgot to mention my second gift. The Crest of Ignorance. One of your greatest assets was your knowledge, that crest effectively removes it, if only temporarily."  
  
Izzy struggled to follow what Gatomon was saying, but it became harder and harder as he felt like his brain was in a fog. "I still won't join you." Izzy struggled to defy Gatomon.  
  
Gatomon looked up surprisingly. "Amazing, you seem to be fighting the effects of my crest better than the rest of the digidestined. They all succumbed almost instantly." Gatomon slapped her head. "Of course, you're part virus. The black gears and crest effectively turn you into a virus, so you're partly immune. I guess I'll have to think of some other way to convince you. I'll be back later, don't wait up."  
  
  
  
Gatomon walked out of from her room, just coming out of the shower. She didn't care much for water, but the leader of the digital world to be clean. A few steps out she ran straight into Puppetmon. "What are you doing here? Didn't I send you to capture me prisoners?"  
  
"Already did. One reptile, one flying pig, and one," Puppetmon swooned mockingly, "beautiful flower girl. That's three for me putting yours truly in the lead against pseudo-Satan and metal-monkey."  
  
"Lillymon?" Gatomon cocked an eye, then smiled happily. "Good work Puppetmon, now hand over the digivices."  
  
"Huh?" Puppetmon looked confused.  
  
Gatomon's mood turned sour again. "You knot-head! She had the digivices on her, if you matched her up with the right digimon and digidestined, we could have a major problem!"  
  
Puppetmon backed off as Gatomon moved menacingly forward. He held out his hands. "Don't worry your pretty little head, she's with Tai."  
  
Gatomon grabbed Puppetmon's hand, "Come on, you idiotic door-stop. We have to get the digivices back." The two ran off, with Puppetmon leading the way. 


	15. Jail Break

Palmon and Tai where still locked in a cell. Palmon's previous attacks on the door as Lillymon had merely blackened the surrounding area. Apparently there was no escape, so Palmon's mind starting to turn back to Tai again. Tai on the other hand, had taken a small piece of metal and was unsuccessfully trying to pick the lock on the door.  
  
"Tai," Palmon grabbed his shoulder. "Do you think if Piedmon put in indestructible Digizoidium doors, he would have made sure the locks were impossible to pick?"  
  
"That doesn't mean I should stop." Tai jammed the metal pick in hard, as if to emphasize the point.  
  
Palmon decided to be more direct. She slipped a vine in Tai's pocket, putting a small object in his pocket without him noticing. "Listen..."  
  
"I'm busy!" Tai angrily said. "And besides, one of our captors could be coming back any second."  
  
Palmon grabbed him by both shoulders, and Tai thought she was going to attack again, but she merely shoved him aside. "I'm not spending another minute in this cell with you! Poison Ivy!" A single vine strung from her left hand.  
  
"Be serious Palmon," Tai got up to his feet annoyed. His crest grew dark briefly, and Tai fought hard to control his negative emotions. "If you didn't do a dent with your flower cannon, what good is your poison ivy going to do?"  
  
"I'm not talking to you!" Palmon angrily replied. If Tai wasn't concentrating so hard at not letting his new crest of fear take him over again, he may have noticed that her vine wasn't hitting the door, but instead, working it's way through the keyhole. Palmon felt along the side of the door. It may be indestructible, but it still needed hinges. She found them, and the nails that held the door in place. She retracted her vine when her job was done.  
  
"I told you it would not work." Tai snottily answered.  
  
Palmon didn't immediately reply, but she walked up to the door, and tapped it lightly. The door fell outwards with an enormous clang. Palmon looked at Tai and let out a hurmph, then walked out the door. Tai quickly scrambled to his feet to follow her.  
  
"Palmon slow down, we have to rescue the others." Tai struggled to keep up.  
  
"I figured that out myself." Piedmon had designed his lair like a carnival attraction. The halls, rooms, where all placed with almost no order. It was almost half an hour until they found the first occupied cell. Two small figures lay sleeping in opposite end of the corner, with one figure sitting crossed legged in the middle. Palmon used her vines again, popping the hinge nails off again. The door came down with an identical clang that Palmon's door made. All three turned their heads towards the door to find Palmon standing proudly in front of them.  
  
"Gomamon, Agumon, TK! Look alive. We're leaving." Palmon proudly announced.  
  
"No, you're not." All five swivelled around to see Puppetmon and Gatomon behind them. Gatomon laughed. She turned her head towards Puppetmon; "Don't you know how to work a lock and key?"  
  
Puppetmon shrugged, "Wasn't my fault." He picked up a nail off the floor, "Defective doors."  
  
"Anyway," Gatomon turned back towards the group. "You can all just crowd into that cell now."  
  
"I'm not going back in that cell with him." Palmon sneered. "Poison Ivy! Three vines streaked on either side of Puppetmon and Gatomon. Gatomon was going to laugh at the attempt, but quickly realized that Palmon was too swift for that. She and Puppetmon turned around and saw her vines wrapped around two pillars behind them. "Oh, shit." Gatomon announced, shortly before Palmon yanked hard. The support columns came down, showering the two with debris from the ceiling.  
  
"Everybody, run!" Tai announced and they all bolted over the rock pile. Gatomon screamed and burst out of the pile, grabbing one of the vines Palmon hadn't yet retracted. She pulled hard, sending Palmon flying back into the hall. The plant digimon collided hard with the wall, stunning her. Puppetmon jumped out of the pile, his mallet in his hands. "Where are my new tackle dummies?"  
  
Gatomon looked up the hall. "Gone." Palmon slowly got up to her knees. Gatomon plucked a gear from her paw and plunged it into her flower. Palmon screamed briefly, but the black gear quickly asserted its control over her. Gatomon pointed to Puppetmon, "You! Go after them. Now!" Puppetmon, fully intent on hunting them down anyway, tore off down the hall.  
  
Palmon had sat up, now fully taken over by the black gear. Gatomon turned and talked to her. "I must admit, I'm impressed. First you manage to steal two digivices, then you defeat Puppetmon, and now you escaped from my prison cell with Tai."  
  
"By the way, would you mind terribly if I had those digivices back? You don't need them." Gatomon asked, trying to sound innocent.  
  
Palmon shrugged her shoulders. "You could have them for all I care, but I don't have them anymore."  
  
"What?!" Gatomon jumped to her feet. "Where are they?!"  
  
"I slipped one in Mimi's bag. That was mine." Palmon answered.  
  
"And the other?!" Gatomon was growing furious.  
  
"I slipped it in Tai's pocket. I wanted to surprise him, but them I didn't want him to know because I was pissed off at him." Palmon grimaced when she mentioned his named.  
  
Gatomon became enraged. With one swift kick, she knocked Palmon hard into the wall. Palmon fell to the ground and did not get up. "Dumb bitch!" Tai was out there with Agumon, and if that digivice was his, there would be big problems. Gatomon breathed in and out slowly, allowing herself to calm done. She placed two claws between her lips and whistled loudly. Two Otamamon appeared a minute later. "You two, bring her with me. I have a plan to catch our wayward digidestined." The converted digimon complied without hesitation, picking up Palmon on their backs. Gatomon lead them down the hall. She had a plan, and even if she had to deal with a Mega digimon, she would have the back up to handle it. Gatomon smiled, she would always be smarter than the digidestined, and that would be their downfall. 


	16. Crippled

Tai, Agumon, TK and Gomamon ran down the winding halls as fast as they could. Puppetmon's cackling could be heard coming from behind. The group quickly hid in a darkened corner, and the wooden virus ran past them, his squeaking footsteps heading down the hallway. No one moved for several minutes until they were sure the Mega digimon had left.  
  
Finally Tai spoke. "Is everyone here?"  
  
The group weakly confirmed, but Tai realized someone was missing. "Palmon? Palmon, where are you?!" He shouted.  
  
Agumon and Gomamon each quickly placed a hand over Tai's mouth. "Be quiet." Agumon whispered. "We can't help anybody else if we get captured ourselves."  
  
Tai knew his digimon was right. But he had abandoned Palmon again, and he felt guilty about it. She was the one that helped them escape from the cell in the first place, even though she was angry with Tai. "You're right Agumon, but we can't leave yet. Not till we find the rest of our friends."  
  
Gomamon sighed, "You're right, but this place is huge!" A quick shhhh from everybody made Gomamon lowered his voice. "All right. We can split up quickly and search. Most of Gatomon's forces are still hunting outside, so they're aren't too many guards."  
  
"Ok," Tai took charge of the situation. "Gomamon, head downstairs. Agumon, you take the upstairs. TK and me will stay here and search this level. We meet back here in two hours. Agreed?"  
  
"Agreed!" They chorused in unison. Everyone took off in different directions down the dark corridors.  
  
  
  
Palmon had woken up to discover she was in the another cell, along with Patamon. The black gear had worn off, but she was still angry with both Tai and now Gatomon. Palmon immediately tried to force her vines through the keyhole again, but without success. She retracted her vines and screamed in frustration.  
  
"No luck?" Patamon asked, walking up beside Palmon.  
  
"What do you think?" She snapped. She calmed herself down though; it was not Patamon she was angry with. "She must have done something to the key hole, I can't force my vine through." She sat back down on the bunk, defeated, until they heard someone coming down the hall. They both shushed each other. "Let's see who it is." Patamon whispered. He flew up to the thick glass window, just in time to see a green helmet poke out from the bottom of the window. "TK!" Patamon excitedly exclaimed.  
  
"Patamon!" TK cried out happily; he hadn't had seen Patamon since Gatomon's betrayal. "Palmon, you're here too."  
  
"TK, I'm glad you're here!" Palmon announced. Both digimon pushed their faces to the thick glass window. "Who's there with you" Her voice trailed off as she spotted Tai. Tai just kept quiet, he was still too embarrassed being around Palmon, especially after all what happened. Palmon, on the other was still enraged at Tai, even without the black gear in her system. "YOU! You son of a Cocketorimon."  
  
Patamon put a paw over Palmon's mouth. "You two can fight later. Now, can you get us out of here?"  
  
Tai bent and grabbed a bolt hinge like Palmon did before. Unfortunately, Tai wasn't strong enough to pull the bolts out. His fingers where starting to bleed he was pulling so hard. "Eyauugh! Tai fell over on his butt. "I need something to pry the nails out." A metal pick was dropped into his hand. "Thanks TK. This should work."  
  
"Huh?" TK asked, turning around. He had been talking to Patamon through the window.  
  
Tai noticed TK was in front of him. "But if you're there" Tai turned around as well, into Gatomon's smirking face. Puppetmon was to her left twirling his mallet in his hand. Metaletemon was to her right, cracking his metallic knuckles. Devimon lorded behind the three of them his arms crossed. All four of them were smiling. Gatomon was the first to speak. "Aren't you going to thank me for the pick?" She laughed. "I knew that if we waited next to their cell, you'd show up. It's much easier then hunting you down."  
  
Metaletemon rushed forward grabbing Tai by the collar. TK fell down, his helmet rolling to the ground. Puppetmon's yarn ball flew from his hand, entwining TK, and forcing him to the ground. "Hi TK, we're going to have fun you and I." He picked TK up. "I have some new games for us to play." TK couldn't even talk, but he was about to cry.  
  
"NO!" Patamon threw himself against the window. "You leave him alone!" Suddenly, a glow filled the cavern. Everyone's gaze turned to Tai. The digivice on him began to glow brightly. Patamon felt the power flow through him. "Patamon digivolve to ANGEMON!" Angemon appeared in a burst of light. "Hand of Fate!" A burst of energy surged from his hand, but splashed harmlessly against the door.  
  
"Awwww" Gatomon mocked. "Is the little guardian angel not strong enough to help his friend?" She traced a claw across TK's forehead; a thin wisp of hair fell of to the ground.  
  
Anger welled up in Angemon, and more power flowed through him. "Angemon digivolve to MAGNANGEMON!" Magnangemon's helmet touched the ceiling as he fully formed. "You will not hurt my friend." His voice echoed through the cavern. His sword formed on his hand. Four quick strokes and the entire front section of the wall caved in as the four villainous digimon jumped back. Magnangemon walked forward, with Palmon escaping behind him. Magnangemon quickly freed TK and turned towards the wall in the corridor, and quickly slashed another door before the viruses could regroup. Turning towards his friends, he motioned to the hole. "Escape, I cannot fight them with you in danger." He turned and faced their captors.  
  
TK grabbed Magnangemon hand, having to reach high up to do it. "No, come on!"  
  
Not turning away from the advancing viruses, Magnangemon addressed TK. "I am in no danger, I battled Piedmon, and he was more powerful than any of these four. Now run, I will follow shortly." Magnangemon advanced towards their attackers. Tai latched on to TK's arm, and with Palmon they ran out the newly formed door.  
  
Gatomon made a magic gesture, and slipped a black gear out of her glove. "Very noble of you, we have to change that attitude." She quickly tossed the gear, nailing Magnangemon in the chest.  
  
Magnangemon fell to his knees, clutching his heart as the gear burrowed in him. Just before the gear exerted its control, Magnangemon pointed his wings in towards him. "Mega antidote." He choked out. His body shone with rainbow colours, eradicating the black gear's effects inside him. He stood up revitalized. "Your gears have no effect on me. Surrender, you saw me battle Piedmon, you know my power."  
  
"Not to dampen your spirits, but you defeated Piedmon with the help of your friends, including yours truly." Gatomon motioned to her virus allies. "Now you're outnumbered, and you are still only an ultimate."  
  
"Good will always triumph over evil." Magnangemon's energy sword extended from his left hand.  
  
"How clichÃ©." Gatomon pointed to Magnangemon. "Take angel boy down."  
  
Puppetmon lead the assault, firing a Puppet Pummel. Magnangemon's shield on his left hand expanded, deflecting the blasts back towards his attacker. The four jumped out of the way. Metaletemon jumped forward, tackling the angel full force. The two landed on the ground, but Magnangemon kicked up, sending the monkey into the ceiling. Magnangemon jumped to his feet, and was grabbed from behind by Devimon.  
  
"You are no match for me devil. I defeated you on File Island, and I will do so here." Magnangemon twirled around, throwing Devimon off. Devimon flew back just in time to avoid Magnangemon sword.  
  
Magnangemon moved around. All off a sudden, everything seemed to move in slow motion.  
  
Gatomon leapt up, landing on Magnangemon's chest. Her claws raked across his exposed chin, drawing three deep cuts across his face. She raised her left paw to strike again.  
  
Magnangemon, with all his power, still felt pain and reacted instantly to it. He instinctively batted at the object tearing at his face with his right hand. His sword hand.  
  
Magnangemon's sword met no resistance as it swung through the air, but met very slight resistance as it hit its unintended target. A searing sound filled the room as Magnangemon's sword passed fully by Gatomon.  
  
A thump, barely audible, but seemed to fill the room as Gatomon's paw fell do the ground. It quickly burst apart, sending the atoms spiraling into nothingness.  
  
Gatomon and Magnangemon both stared at the stump briefly on her left hand. Surprisingly, there was no blood. Magnangemon's sword instantly cauterized the wound as it passed through. Gatomon fell to the ground, clutching the stump tightly to her chest.  
  
Horror passed through Magnangemon as he realized what he did. His normal closed mouth was wide open. "What have I done?" He bent down, afraid to touch her. "I am sorry, I never meant to harm you, I only wish to let my friends escape."  
  
Gatomon looked weakly up at her assaulter. "I know." She barely replied; her face grimaced in pain. Magnangemon didn't have time to reply, for a large metal hammer was brought down on the back of his head. He fell over and got up weakly, just in time to see Metaletemon's fist searing towards him. Magnangemon fell down again, and did not rise. Gatomon, even in all her pain, smiled. "But I want to harm you."  
  
Devimon walked foreword. "You two, take him and lock him the special cell. Now!" Puppetmon and Metaletemon each grabbed a leg and started dragging the unconscious angel off. Devimon stayed behind and picked up the barley alive Gatomon. "Come now, we can't have you leaving us." He started running to Datamon's lab, "Not when we have a guest arriving shortly." 


	17. The Master Arrives

Gatomon was laid out on a table. Her left arm, or what was left of it, was bandaged up, and diodes where placed all over body. Datamon and Vademon where on either side of her, taking readings and preparing her for surgery.  
  
Gatomon was awake now, but still in obvious discomfort. "Are you two ready yet?"  
  
Vademon nervously answered, "Almost. This is a very delicate procedure, and we wouldn't want to mess up." Datamon smirked at this. He had no intention of allowing Gatomon to wake up.  
  
"Hurry up." She turned her head towards Datamon, "Is the device ready?"  
  
"Everything is ready, as per your specifications." He motioned to the device behind him. "We can begin when Vademon is ready."  
  
"Good." Gatomon reached out with her intact right paw and stroked Datamon under the chin. "Make sure the operation takes less than two hours."  
  
"And why is that?" Datamon asked, not really paying attention. He just wanted to get Gatomon out of the way. He could easily make it look like something went wrong with the operation; no one could blame him.  
  
"Did I forget to mention?" Gatomon looked mock surprised. "If I'm not back awake in two hours, the code I implanted in you will trigger a serious of increasingly painful electrical jolts, eventually ending in your deletion. It must have slipped my mind." Datamon and Vademon looked at her in horror. "Oh come now, do you really think I would trust you two to put me under the knife without some insurance on my part? Now hurry up. You have two hours," she looked up at the digital clock in the lab. "My mistake, make that one hour and fifty-five minutes to finish my operation."  
  
Vademon nervously placed a mask over Gatomon's face. As she went under, Datamon cursed himself, his plans falling apart. He would have to think of some other way to escape, but for now, he had to save this cat's life, no matter how much it disgusted him.  
  
  
  
Gatomon eyes weakly opened, straining to make focus of her surroundings. Datamon and Vademon came in to view. Gatomon weakly sat up, brushing her left paw through her eyes. Her left paw, the one that Magnangemon chopped off. The anesthetic wearing off, she looked at her new paw. A shiny hard digizoidium alloy paw was now fitted on her left arm. The paw shone metallic black in the artificial light as Gatomon turned it over. It was exactly the shame shape as her old paw was, except the claws were thinner and longer. "Not bad. Stylish."  
  
Vademon cautiously stepped forward, interrupting Gatomon's examination. "Pardon me," He motioned to the clock. There was less than five minutes until Gatomon's deletion program took effect.  
  
"Boy, you are sure impatient, we have at least four minutes left. Now Datamon, did you install everything I asked for in my new toy?" Gatomon extended her metallic claws.  
  
"Everything is as you asked for." Datamon look anxiously at the clock. Perhaps she intended to delete them anyway?  
  
"Oh really?" Gatomon flipped an almost invisible hatch on the top of her paw, revealing a control panel. She pressed two buttons simultaneously. Datamon and Vademon both spasmed at voltage shot through them. As their convulsions abated, Gatomon smiled. "I'm impressed, I didn't think you'd add the controls that would affect you. I guess I can stop the deletion command now." Gatomon pressed another button.  
  
Datamon still wait anxiously until the two hours went by. Datamon had been reasonably sure that Gatomon would test the device. If it did not work, he would most likely be deleted, and he was not looking forward to that experience again.  
  
  
  
Magnangemon woke up in another cell. He wasn't sure how long he had been out for. Still filled with grief for what he did, he still attempted to escape. He brought his sword back and sliced at the door. Electricity shot through him as his blade began to cut through. He retracted his hand. "Gatomon must have done something to the wall, I can't escape." His energy spent, he glowed brightly for a second, and returned to his rookie form Patamon. Now escape was definitely impossible, so Patamon curled up in a corner crying. He was completely overcome with grief for deleting Gatomon. He knew what she did, but he still couldn't not believe his actions, whether intentional or not.  
  
"Amazing." A familiar voice echoed in his cell.  
  
Patamon looked up and recognized the figure standing in the open door, with her hands behind her back. "Gatomon!" He happily replied. "I didn't delete you!" Overcome with emotion, he ran up and hugged Gatomon.  
  
Shaking her head, Gatomon repeated, "Amazing. After all I've done to you and your friends, you're still concerned about my welfare." She pushed Patamon away with her left hand.  
  
Patamon stumbled away in shock; Gatomon's hand was a shiny black metallic prosthetic. Patamon's mouth fell wide open. "What happened to you hand?" He gasped in shock.  
  
Gatomon sneered slightly. "In case you've forgotten, an angel forcibly removed it."  
  
Patamon broke out crying again. He burrowed his face in Gatomon's chest. "I am so sorry Gatomon." He cried hysterically.  
  
Stroking Patamon behind his ear wings, she comforted him. "There, there. This new paw isn't all bad." A slot in the palm of her paw flew open. "I've added a few interesting gimmicks to it." A gear shot out, plunging itself deep between Patamon's ears. Patamon jumped away from Gatomon, trying to claw the gear out as it burrowed into his scalp. The gear quickly took control over Patamon. "Thanks for the test run Patamon, it seems my new paw is working perfectly."  
  
Patamon looked up, new feelings taking over him. He no longer felt sorry for hurting Gatomon.  
  
"Excelent. I owe you just one more thing." Her paw glowed blue, and Patamon screamed as jolts of electricity flowed through him. Gatomon the proceeded to kick him in the mid-section, sending him flying unconscious in corner. "That's for cutting off my paw." She snarled, and with a flip of her tail, she left Patamon in a bruised heap in the cell.  
  
  
  
Gatomon had returned to her throne to clean up, and was admiring her new metal paw. She guessed she owed Patamon thanks, although she would have never deliberately cut off her own paw. The other digimon stared at it in fear, and fear was something she could use.  
  
Devimon burst into the room. "Ahh, Gatomon I'm glad to see you up and about."  
  
Gatomon nodded. "I'm must thank you for saving me."  
  
Devimon smiled. "We can't have our second in command being deleted now can we."  
  
"Be quiet you fool." Gatomon snarled. "No one is supposed to know that I'm not in charge."  
  
"Don't worry, the secret is only known to you, me, and out guest." Devimon backed out of the room and a darkened figure entered in a flurry of bats. "I've had these halls cleared out for three levels. No one will be eavesdropping on you conversation, and I will be guarding outside." Devimon back out of the room, and shut the doors.  
  
Gatomon got up and walked over, and knelt to the newly arrived figure. "Welcome back, master." 


	18. Revenge

Palmon and Tai, forgetting their differences for the moment, were dragging TK back to the meeting place. Tai didn't want to leave Magnangemon behind, but the angel was right. Gatomon would have merely taken one of them hostage, forcing Magnangemon to surrender. "Come on TK, Magnangemon will be fine. Agumon and Gomamon will be back shortly."  
  
TK, in tears, "I don't care! I'm going to help him!" With that, he kicked Tai hard in the shins. Tai let out a yelp of pain, releasing TK's arm. TK wrenched free from Palmon's grip and took off down the hall, running right by the returning Agumon. Agumon had to jump back to avoid being bowled over.  
  
"What the?" Agumon squeaked out as he watched TK run down the hall.  
  
"I don't need this!" Tai cried clutching his bruised leg. His crest glowed black, and Tai forced his anger down again. He couldn't wait to get the cursed thing off. "Agumon! Come with me, we got to get TK back before he gets captured. Palmon stay, here. Tell Gomamon what happened when he gets back." Before Palmon could reply, Agumon and Tai tore off down the hall in hot pursuit of TK.  
  
"Eyaugghhh!" Palmon grimaced. What did she ever see in that insensitive clod? He just ran away leaving her alone again. Palmon kicked a rock down the darkened corridor hard in frustration.  
  
"Ow!" A yell of pain echoed in the hall. Palmon stood ready for attack, but was rewarded with a stumbling Gomamon coming from the shadows. He was walking forward slowly, rubbing a rather large egg-shaped bump on his forward.  
  
"Gomamon, am I glad to see you!" Palmon smiled.  
  
Still rubbing the injury, Gomamon walked forward. "I wouldn't have known from the greeting."  
  
Palmon walked forward and lightly touched the bump on Gomamon's forehead. It looked larger then the damage the rock should have caused. In fact, his entire body looked bruised under his white fur. "Oh I'm so sorry Gomamon. I didn't know you where there, I was just angry with Tai, Gatomon, everything. I just felt like hitting something."  
  
"And that something was me, I guess." Gomamon replied sarcastically.  
  
"I said I was sorry, and I think I'm handling myself pretty well, considering what happened to me." Palmon placed her hands on her hips.  
  
"Listen," Gomamon replied angrily. "I've been held prisoner in this castle since this all began. Gatomon has been using me for everything from a punching bag to guinea pig. There is one small problem though."  
  
"Whats that?" Palamon asked quizically.  
  
"This bump's not from that rock you threw. I had a run in with one of Gatomons minions before you found me. I have one of those black gears in me." he said just before he slumped to the floor.  
  
Metaletemon stepped out of the shadows of the corridore and laughed picking up Gomamon's slumped body, and then dropping him again. "As much as I'm enjoying this, the king has other plans. First off is revenge. Act one was to turn your seal friend here to my bait. Act two is he betrays your trust and turns you over to me. And the final act, you'll love this." Metaletemon stepped forward; his hands started to pulse with dark network energy. "I asked your friend, after I forced the gear on him, to choose."  
  
"Choose what?" Palmon now scared almost senseless.  
  
"His life or yours." Metaletemon laughed. "Naturally, he chose to save his own hide thanks to the black gear, un-huh."  
  
"Wh-aa-tt?" Palmon backed down the corridor, nearly in tears.  
  
"That's the beauty of my little soap opera here." Metaletemon took another step forward, his footstep echoing through the hallway. "When the gear wears off, Gomamon will be beside himself with grief for taking advantage of you and then choosing you to be destroyed instead of himself. That's my revenge for him. Since Leomon is gone, he deserves the worst I can offer. My revenge on you, will be a little more blunt." Another step forward. "I'll just tell Gatomon you put up a fight, and I accidentally deleted you. I don't think she'll be too mad. Besides, some time a monkey's got to do what a monkey's got to do. Now please, put up a fight, let the king work for his prize, un-huh."  
  
Palmon turned and ran as fast as she could. She heard Metaletemon laughing behind her. "Let the hunt begin!" And the footsteps of her inevitable deletion echoed behind her. 


	19. The Feathers Fly

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"  
  
"No, but I'm open to suggestions." Gabumon looked at Biyomon flying beside him, barely visible in the moonlight. He drew his fist back and jammed his claws into the side of Gatomon's lair again. This was a bad idea. Here they where, two rookie digimon, sneaking into Gatomon's lair that had who knows how many evil digimon in it. But they knew that some, if not all, of their friends where being held prisoner, and they had to rescue them.  
  
"Well I was just asking." Biyomon replied.  
  
"Just keep an eye out." Gabumon hastily replied. He knew he shouldn't have snapped, but he still was angry with her. He knew he had no right. He knew the only reason she removed his pelt was to help. He knew he even had sex with her. But still he knew deep down, he still resented her for that indecency. She was the only person who knew what lied beneath his fur, and that gnawed at him. He punctuated the point by jabbing his claws in the rock again, pulling himself up next to a window.  
  
"Your plan is working perfectly, master."  
  
Gabumon motioned Biyomon to be quiet and to come close. He peered over the bottom of the window, and saw Gatomon kneeling to a figure, but they could only see the shadow from their vantage point.  
  
The shadowed figure nodded. "Thank you my loyal servant. Why should it not work?"  
  
"It was brilliant, to say the least." Gatomon bowed lower. "Your fake death, my feigned friendship. Everything went according to plan. The digidestined destroyed the dark masters as you predicted. When Piedmon was destroyed, it allowed me to trick them into acquiring their digivices. Even the fact you had them believe I was the mastermind behind the entire operation was a stroke of genius. The digidestined won't destroy me even after all I've done to them." She held up her paw, and Gabumon was surprised when he saw that it was all black. "You should have seen the look on Magnangemon's face when he amputated my paw by accident. I don't think that even if he unintentionally cut off TK's hand he would have been more shocked. He even allowed himself to be captured; he was so devastated. They would have no trouble deleting you on the other hand." Gatomon smirked at the pun. "Your plan is brilliant."  
  
"Then explain to me why there are still digidestined and some of their digimon on the loose?" The figure asked.  
  
Biyomon strained to hear, they where talking so quiet. "I know that voice, I just can't place it." Gabumon listened to, but the voice didn't sound familiar to him.  
  
"It was Gennai." Gatomon sneered. "He used a hide file program to allow the digidestined to escape. But not to worry, my forces are tracking down the last few escapees as we speak."  
  
The figure sighed. "Gennai, if it was not for him and his allies, there would not even be any digidestined. I should have deleted him years ago. Ah well. Anyway, he is not the important one. I have analyzed the prophecy you acquired from Tai. From what I gather, we will need the digimon Gabumon for my plans to work."  
  
Biyomon and Gabumon looked at one another. Gabumon mouthed the question "Me?" to Biyomon. He then turned his attention towards the conversation in the room again, all the while wondering why Gatomon needed him?  
  
Gatomon continued speaking. "He will be caught shortly. It is only a matter of time. Without Matt or their digivice, he is no threat."  
  
"Good, you are a good servant." The figure stepped into view, so Biyomon and Gabumon received a clear view.  
  
"You!" Biyomon chirped out involuntarily when she recognized who it was. Gabumon grimaced, hoping that no one heard.  
  
Gatomon turned towards the window. Her master just gestured, and a flurry of bats appeared out of nowhere, knocking Gabumon off the side of the wall.  
  
Gabumon tumbled towards the ground, several hundred meters below. He saw his life pass before his eyes, shortly before his decent was abruptly halted. "Gotcha!" Biyomon yelled, grasping Gabumon firmly between her talons. She was clearing straining in order to keep aloft. Gabumon was pretty heavy for her to lift, which is why he was climbing the side of the castle instead of her flying him up. Gabumon was about to thank her, but remembered she was the one who alerted their presence in the first place.  
  
Biyomon began to descend slowly, but suddenly a scream came from the skies above. Biyomon looked up just in time to see Gatomon jump out of the window and land on her back hard. Biyomon let out a large whumph sound as Gatomon let the air out of her. Still, Biyomon held on tightly to Gabumon as she plummeted to the ground, with Gatomon still on her back. They all hit the ground roughly, Biyomon taking the brunt of the fall. Gatomon and Gabumon rolled away and jumped to their respective feet. Biyomon struggled to hers, but was knocked down again quickly from a roundhouse kick courtesy of Gatomon, sending her sprawling several feet away.  
  
Turning her attention back to Gabumon she smiled. "Gabumon, you saved me the trouble of hunting you down. How very considerate of you."  
  
Gabumon growled. "How could you be working for something like that?"  
  
Gatomon smiled. "An excellent health plan. I'm allowed to live as long as I follow orders. One of the orders being to capture you."  
  
"I don't think so." Gabumon opened his mouth wide. "Blue Blaster!" A stream of energy blazed from his mouth, which Gatomon easily side stepped. "Blue Blaster!" Another blast, but this time Gatomon merely held out her left hand, and the beam was dispersed against the metallic paw.  
  
"Try again?" Gatomon coyly asked.  
  
Gabumon new she was much faster then he was, but he remembered a trick he learned when he attacked Biyomon. "Blue Blaster!" He shouted again. This time, he aimed at the ground a few feet in front of her. A spray of dirt spread in a wide arc over Gatomon, blinding her. Gabumon smiled and charged forward, tackling the stunned Gatomon and pinning her to the ground. He cuffed her twice across the face quickly. Just before his third strike, Gatomon raised her left paw and grabbed his forehead. Her paw glowed bright blue for a second, sending a jolt of electricity through Gabumon. Gabumon groaned in pain as the neuro paralyzer took effect.  
  
Gatomon quickly turned over, pinning the dizzy Gabumon to the ground. "I don't know why you digimon think you can take me in your rookie forms. You need a bit of an attitude adjustment." A black gear popped from her metallic glove. "I can help you with that." And plunged the gear into his chest. Gabumon grunted as the device worked its way into his stomach.  
  
"Leave him alone!" Biyomon wrapped her wings around Gatomon. The cat tossed her off easily, since Biyomon was already weakened. Biyomon stumbled away, staying unsteadily on her feet. "How could you work for that creature? You where almost destroyed all long with the rest of us, remember?"  
  
Gatomon laughed, wiping a tiny drop of blood from her lips. "I was never in any danger, it was all an act on my part. I played the part quite well, didn't I?" She sighed a long fake sigh. "Too bad you and Gabumon had to discover my little secret. Fortunately for Gabumon, we need him for our plans. He is indispensable. You..." Gatomon trailed off. With lightning speed, she lunged forward. The claws on her prosthetic hand doubled in length almost instantly. Biyomon could barely stand up, let alone dodge. Gatomon's razor sharp claws plunged into her chest. Biyomon eyes flew wide open as she stared at Gatomon's arm buried up to her elbow in her feathers. She looked up at Gatomon, who smiled as she finished her sentence. "Are not."  
  
Biyomon's form broke up in to atoms and began flying to the sky. Gatomon looked up and saw the pink molecules spread to the wind. She retracted her claws to their normal length with a loud shikt. "A shame really, but we couldn't have you spreading my little secret around."  
  
"Serves the little bitch right." Gatomon noticed for the first time that the Gabumon had gotten up beside her.  
  
Gatomon was taken aback. "I'm must admit I'm surprised. Usually the black gear just makes you indifferent towards your friends, but you seem to genuinely hate her, at least deep down."  
  
Gabumon snorted towards the skies as the last traces of Biyomon disappeared. "That bitch took of my pelt"  
  
Gatomon smiled at the success of her new toy. "Well now we have to go meet someone." Gatomon said as they walked towards her lair.  
  
Gatomon walked into her chambers, only this time her chamber chair was occupied. "Did you capture the Gabumon?"  
  
Gatomon motioned towards Gabumon behind her. "He's right here."  
  
"And what about the bird?"  
  
Gatomon snapped her claws together once. "What bird?"  
  
"Good, my little servant." The cloaked figure smiled. "Now finishing hunting down the remaining digidestined." Gatomon bowed once and ran out of the room and into the forest, in the direction she last saw Kari.  
  
"And who might you be?" Gabumon asked, not really interested.  
  
"I'm the true master of all digimon." A hand reached down and grabbed Gabumon, lifting him off the ground. "And you're going to make me the most powerful digimon in both worlds." 


	20. The Prophecy Continues

Agumon and Tai ran back into the room where they left Magnangemon. There were obviously signs of battle, but unfortunately TK wasn't in sight. "TK must have ran off looking for Magnangemon." They looked down either end of the hall. "Go that way Agumon, I'll take this way. And if you find TK, sit on him if you have to, just don't let him go!"  
  
Agumon snuck down the hall, quietly calling out TK's name. Suddenly he heard crying. He looked into one of the empty rooms, and saw a tiny figure crouched in the corner behind the bed. He saw a green helmet sticking out in the light from the window. "TK, are you ok?"  
  
"No, Magnangemon had been captured." His voice squeaked.  
  
"You don't know that TK, he might have escaped, he might be looking for us right now." Agumon reassured.  
  
"I know he's been captured." The helmeted figure stood up, and in the light, Agumon gasped. TK held a gleaming mallet in his hand. Then Agumon looked in TK's face, or more accurately Puppetmon's face. "I know because I captured him." Puppetmon took off TK's helmet and dropped it to the ground. "It's nice, but it's just not me." Agumon took a defensive step back as Puppetmon continued. "So how do you like my TK impression?" Puppetmon's voice deepened "I do a pretty mean Metaletemon to, Un-huh." Puppetmon laughed and advanced.  
  
Agumon cursed himself. TK lost his helmet; he should have remembered that, so he wouldn't be in this mess now. As it was, Agumon didn't know what to do. His gaze moved slightly beyond Puppetmon, to the open window. Agumon, hoping his geography was right, charged Puppetmon. Puppetmon started to laugh, until Agumon ran right by him and dived out the open window. Puppetmon ran out the window and shot his strings down catching Agumon midway, but Agumon's momentum pulled him forwards, and he fell out the window. He released his strings and grabbed on to the ledge for dear life.  
  
Free falling, Agumon closed his eyes and hoped. Suddenly, he was surrounded by ice coldness and he couldn't breath. He panicked, but remembered; that this is what he hoped that would happen. He swam to the surface of the large lake, gasping for breath. He saw this water when Puppetmon brought him back. Lucky for him; also lucky Puppetmon slowed his descent with the strings, or he would have been deleted if he had hit water or land.  
  
He swam to the shore bruised and shivering, but forced himself to run. He knew Puppetmon would be down momentarily, and he didn't stand a chance against him. Anyway, he would run to the last place Puppetmon would look.  
  
  
  
Mimi had finally woken up after being asleep for over two days. She had been having a terrible dream just before she woke up. Puppetmon was over her, grabbing her crest, choking her with it. Luckily, she woke up before the dream continued. Her head was still swimming from the anesthetic effects of Lillymon's petals. "Whoa what happened?" She ran her hand threw her strewn hair. "And who messed up my hair?" She angrily cried. Anger was soon replaced by ravenous hunger. She went over the kitchen and tore open the cupboards. After consuming unladylike proportions of food and drink she went back down and sat on the couch. The nutrients revitalized her and she was feeling like her old self. Now she was wondering where Palmon and the others disappeared too.  
  
"You've got mail!"  
  
"Huh?" Mimi looked around worriedly. Her eyes landed on Izzy's computer that Palmon brought with her. She flipped open the top and saw a little Gennai walking across the screen.  
  
"Hello there! I've finished fixing the tablet, Izzy. Here's the final part of the prophecy. Joe says hi by the way, he stopped by to pick up something.  
  
The fallen angel shall show herself  
  
In the guise of a friend  
  
The sky shall turn dark  
  
And friends shall become foes  
  
She shall then raise the defeated and destroyed  
  
To take their revenge against the ones who banished them  
  
To the state of none-being  
  
The son of fallen angels  
  
Shall reveal his power  
  
To save a loved one  
  
The chosen ones shall than be tempted by the dark side  
  
To let their evil selves take control  
  
Then the fallen one shall reveal herself  
  
In her true form  
  
And then we shall see friends reunited  
  
With the writings from the past  
  
Hidden under the cover of shame  
  
To travel back to the past  
  
And the writer of these prophecies shall be revealed  
  
With the code of shame  
  
The power of a child  
  
The word of the lover  
  
With the defeat of the fallen angel  
  
By the true angels and the hidden heroes  
  
Will banish the villains to another time  
  
And release the apocalypse  
  
Good luck! That last line tells me you'll need it.  
  
"Now what does that mean? Angels? Dark side? Apocalypse? This is making my head hurt." Mimi sat down. Hands started to massage her temples. "That feels better." Then it dawned on her; she screamed, grabbed the hand and threw her guest over her shoulder into a heap in the corner. It was then that she recognized the bruised mass in front of her. "Agumon! You're safe!"  
  
Agumon on his head, backed against corner, replied. "I though I was safe too. But it seems my friends have a habit of attacking me." He rolled on to his feet and cracked his neck.  
  
"Well you shouldn't have snuck up on me like that!" Mimi complained. She sat back down on the couch. She snorted, getting a whiff of herself. She had not had a shower since she was knocked out. "Whoa, totally unladylike." She wrinkled her nose.  
  
"Mimi, I'm sorry I snuck up on you." Agumon walked up and grabbed her arms and knelt down in front of her. "I was worried about you. Puppetmon attacked us and knocked you out. Me, Patamon and Lillymon took down Puppetmon, but he snuck a black gear out and it took over Lillymon. Lillymon then turned on us. I woke up in a cell and you where no where in sight. I was afraid that Puppetmon did something to you, I didn't want anything to ever happen to you."  
  
Mimi started down at the digimon in front of her. She didn't want to admit it, but she always found him kind of cute. Now it looked like he was proposing to her. "You are so sweet."  
  
Agumon all of a sudden got a big wiff of Mimi and said "Mimi, you REALLY need a shower." As soon as the words escaped his lips he knew he had said something really stupid.  
  
"What!"Fury filled Mimi. The crest she had around her neck started to glow black. Agumon noticed the dark shine to. "What's going on?" He asked worriedly.  
  
The crest of deceit took over Mimi. She smiled mischievously. "Nothing is going on. And there is no one behind you."  
  
Agumon thought that was a pretty weird thing to say. Why would someone say there is no one behind you? He turned around, and ended up nose to nose with Puppetmon. He jumped back surprised and yelped. "BWAHAHAHAHA!" Puppetmon laughed. "Come on now. When I remembered I left that human here, I figured out that you would probably come back here to meet here. Give me some credit, my head's not made of wood." He knocked on his head. "Oh wait it is."  
  
"Mimi we've got to get out of here!" Agumon grabbed her hand, but Mimi shrugged his grip off and pushed him into Puppetmon. "What?" He cried.  
  
Puppetmon grabbed both of his arms from behind Agumon's back and squeezed hard. Agumon screamed in pain as Puppetmon's grip tightened. "You see, I got here before you did, and found sleeping beauty on the couch over there. Since I knew I was running into her, I borrowed the crest of deceit of Gatomon. I enjoy a good trick. Working for Gatomon is such fun! Piedmon was such a bore, conquer this, and conquer that. Gatomon enjoys inflicting misery and pain." Puppetmon laughed hard.  
  
Mimi walked up to the struggling Agumon and slapped him on the face. "That was for taken advantage of me before." She then kneed him in the crotch, causing Agumon to scream and double over in pain, as much as he could with Puppetmon's strong grip on his arms. "And THAT was for that comment."  
  
Agumon passed out from the pain in his crotch and arms. Puppetmon was in hysterics at the whole display and slung Agumon under his shoulder. "You are a spoiled bitch, you know that?" He held his free hand and shot strings out, sealing Mimi's mouth shut before she could answer. "But enough amusement. We have to get back, and boy, dinosaur boy is going to be pissed off at you, I can't wait!" Puppetmon started to walk out the door when he noticed Izzy's computer flashing writing on the screen. "Well what's this? A prophecy? Gatomon will love this. Never visit a lady without bringing gifts, that would not be the way of a gentleman like myself." Puppetmon guffawed and lead Mimi out the door, back to Gatomon's lair. 


	21. True Face Revealed

Kari had run out of the forest into a large rocky clearing overlooking a cliff. She peered down and saw a river nearly a mile down, and there was no obvious way of climbing down. She turned around and heard a crashing coming through the forest behind her. A Mechanorimon crashed through and walked towards her. She was trapped with no way of escape. She backed as far as she could to the cliff, frightened. The Mechanorimon hovered over her, and spoke.  
  
"Kari?" The distorted amplified voice announced. "It is you!"  
  
"You won't catch me that easily!" Kari screamed and started to jump off the cliff. A mechanical hand grabbed her before she could take two steps and held her tight. Surprisingly the metal figure dropped her away from the cliff.  
  
"Kari it's me!" The hatch flew open, and instead of the usual Bakemon pilot, a human came out.  
  
"Joe!" Kari cried happily. Finally a friend, probably the only one who wasn't captured by Gatomon.  
  
"I'm sorry Kari!" Joe jumped down from the Mechanorimon's hollow form. "I should have jumped out, I must have scared you half to death. I wasn't thinking. I borrowed this thing off Gennai. I was just on my way to try to rescue Gomamon when I spotted you."  
  
Kari smiled, "I know you didn't mean it Joe. But now we have a chance to rescue Gomamon and the others."  
  
Joe led Kari to a cave on the top of the cliff. "That's where I've been staying since this whole mess began. You can stay here while I go rescue everyone."  
  
"But I want to come with you!" Kari complained.  
  
"My plan hinges on stealth." Joe pointed back to the metal husk. "I can sneak in with that suit and rescue everyone with no one being the wiser." He started to climb back on the machine. "I'll be back shortly." He turned to climb back in the hatch, and immediately came flying out landing next to Kari.  
  
"Joe, are you alright?" Kari picked up his arm. "What happened?"  
  
"I happened." Gatomon's red eyes flashed as her head popped out of the hatch. Her face broke into a grin. "Good plan, Joe. It would have probably worked, too. Luckily for me I was hunting for Kari when I spotted you climbing out of this Mechanorimon. I snuck in while you weren't looking. I felt like you needed a little excitement in your life." She jumped completely out of the robot shell.  
  
Kari gasped when she noticed Gatomon's new paw. "What happened to your paw, Gatomon?"  
  
Gatomon jumped down and examined her prosthetic paw. "Your boyfriend and his angel chum. I was a little annoyed at first, but this paw has some features I quite enjoy."  
  
Kari bit her lip and stood up straight. "I'm not going to run anymore Gatomon. You're still my friend, and I know you won't hurt me."  
  
Gatomon looked at her and pointed a figure mockingly at her. "You know what?" Her pointed claw shot out, piercing Kari's hip. Kari screamed at the pain, but was numbed as the anesthetic took affect. Kari's eyes rolled back and she fell to the ground. "You know wrong."  
  
Joe was just beginning to regain his senses and began to stand up, but was slammed down on his back as Gatomon jumped on his chest. She grabbed him by his crest and pulled his head up "Oh, I haven't forgotten about you."  
  
"Gatomon, you know we are destined to win. It's not too late to turn back." Joe wheezed out.  
  
"How very reliable of you." Gatomon's black paw's slot flew open and a small disk popped out and adhered to his crest; Joe didn't even notice. "But now you're going to fail. Good old reliable, fifth wheel, scared of his shadow Joe."  
  
Joe grew angry. "I am not afraid of you, you traitor."  
  
Gatomon cuffed him once across the face with her metal paw, knocking off his glasses. "Then I'm not trying hard enough."  
  
"Why you little" Joe released a string of swear words. He didn't even notice his crest turning black. Joe did feel his positive emotions drain away though. He no longer wanted to help Gomamon, there was no need. He only needed to worry about himself.  
  
Gatomon pulled Joe up so she was sitting on his lap. "The crest of failure. That should help you see the error of your ways. Now then, Gomamon doesn't matter any more, does he?"  
  
Joe thought to himself, "No, I could get hurt."  
  
"Now then, why don't you be a good selfish boy and take that Mechanorimon suit back to my castle. Turn yourself in to the guards and I promise you won't get hurt." She said, patting him on the head once.  
  
"Sure thing." Joe got up and pulled his shorts up. He picked his glasses off the ground and put them on as well. He clambered into the suit and with a roar, took off to Gatomon's castle.  
  
Gatomon smiled to herself as she watched Joe start to land near her castle in the distance, before she lost him as the trees obscured his suit. A moan caught her attention, and she turned back towards the cave. Kari was starting to stir. "Well, it looks like I forgot about someone."  
  
  
  
Kari slowly got up from the bed, fighting the effects of the drugs Gatomon pumped into her system. She was in the cavern Joe had shown her. She reached down to her leg, and found the claw had been removed and the wound bandaged.  
  
"Glad to see you're up and about." Gatomon sat cross-legged. "I fixed your leg, you see you have a long walk in front of you."  
  
Kari was crying again. "Why are you dong this?"  
  
"No more crying, you pathetic excuse for a human." Gatomon sneered. "I don't know why I let you live." An evil smile crossed Gatomon's face. "I don't have to, come to think of it. You don't have a digimon, and it's not like you have any useful skills." Her claws slowly extended. "I can't really think of any reason I need to keep you around."  
  
Kari fell down to the floor. She grabbed the digivice from her belt and showed it to Gatomon. "Gatomon we're friends, Remember? You gave me this when you defected from Myotismon."  
  
Gatomon snatched the digivice from her hand and held in her black paw. "I do remember and it doesn't matter." She slowly squeezed her paw. Kari eyes grew wide. "I don't need this anymore and I don't need you." Gatomon squeezed her paw tight, shattering the digivice. "Now it's your turn."  
  
Kari's eyes where still wide, but they where focused on Gatomon's paw. Gatomon followed her gaze. The crushed digivice in her hand was glowing bright. Tendrils of light wrapped her paw and slowly worked her way up her arm. "What's going on?" Gatomon screamed. The tendrils whipped around and started to pierce her body. Gatomon fell to her knees as the vines of light surrounded her completely and with a blinding flash, the light disappeared.  
  
Kari cautiously crawled forward. Gatomon looked up suddenly starling Kari as she jumped back. But when she looked again, her eyes had gone back to their normal blue. Her eyes where filled with tears and her face had a thousand emotions running across it, fear, realization, pain, but most of all, remorse. Her lips trembled as she spoke. "I'm sorry." 


	22. Prophecy Misread

Izzy was in his cell. The crest had worn off now, but he was still angry. He had betrayed his friends, especially Sora. Gatomon also had this infernal bracelet placed on his wrist. He couldn't use his powers.  
  
Suddenly an explosion filled the hall. Izzy ran to the window. Looking out he saw Palmon tumbling down the corridor. She was obviously bruised and exhausted. "Palmon!" He cried.  
  
Palmon turned towards the window, and smiled weakly. Suddenly a ball of black energy exploded under her feet, sending her spiraling head over heels. Izzy's gaze turned to the attacker, a laughing Metaletemon. "Come on now, plant girl. It was just getting interesting."  
  
"Leave her alone!" Izzy screamed. The crest started to glow on his chest.  
  
"Well, well look who we have here." Metaletemon walked up to the window and grinned. "I'd like to delete you too, but I have strict orders not to hurt you." Palmon had gotten to her feet and began to run again. Metaletemon threw a banana peel, causing Palmon to slip and hit the ground hard. "But she's doesn't have your level of protection. At least you get to see her last moments, and know you had the power to save her, but couldn't." Palmon was now crawling as fast as she could, which wasn't very fast at all. Metaletemon let her scramble out of view. He tapped on the glass. "Bye-bye. See you soon, you won't see her at all, un-huh." And with that Metaletemon walked leisurely after his prey.  
  
Izzy was now enraged. His crest turned black. "No." He was logical; he can't let the crest take over. Approach it like a problem. Izzy's mind raced rapidly.  
  
Problem: You're trapped in a room. You have the power to blast the door open, but every time you try to use the power, a bracelet shocks you on your wrist.  
  
Solution: Remove the bracelet.  
  
Problem: The bracelet has no lock or hitch. It looked like it was built around your wrist while you where asleep.  
  
Solution: Remove the bracelet.  
  
Izzy growled. He kept coming to the same solution. What was he supposed to do? Slip it over his hand? Izzy grabbed the manacle and pulled hard. The device started to slowly work its way up his hand. Izzy grimaced and pulled harder. With a burst of pain, the bracelet flew off his hand. He smiled to himself and thought. Occam's razor: the simplest solution is most often the correct one. For the first time in his life, he was glad he had his tiny hands. His skin was raw; the tattoo of Devimon stood bright orange against his red skin.  
  
Another scream, weaker but seemed to fill the hallway. Izzy instantly snapped to attention. His eyes turned deep red. His hands glowed briefly and he pointed them to the front of the cell. A burst of black power surged from him, vaporizing the door into nothingness.  
  
Izzy soared out of the cell in the direction of the scream. He found Metaletemon, holding a weakened Palmon by her throat. Palmon spoke in a hoarse voice. "Let me go." She cried weakly.  
  
"Or else what?" Metaletemon shook her.  
  
Fury filled Izzy. His aura of black wrapped around him with a large crackling sound. Metaletemon turned around, and saw Izzy floating in front of him, his eyes glowing red in the darkened hall. Metaletemon took a step back and dropped Palmon in surprise. "I really have to stop saying that." He mumbled, shortly before Izzy attacked.  
  
Izzy smashed a stone pillar next to him, showering Metaletemon in debris. Metaletemon instinctively raised his arms to cover his face. While the stones didn't hurt him, he felt some irresistible force grab his wrists and pull them down. Izzy had his hands wrapped around his arms and was forcing him to his knees. "How many of my friends?" Izzy coldly asked. His inner fury was getting to him as the crest of ignorance slowly took over. Izzy's logic vanished. His only focus was on Metaletemon now. "Now you die." Cracks began to appear on Metaletemon's arm on Izzy squeezed tighter still.  
  
"Not yet, I still have an encore." Metaletemon smiled. "See your green friend over there?"  
  
Izzy turned. Palmon's form was slowly staring to break up. Izzy, even in his haze realized this wasn't supposed to happen. Metaletemon, seizing this lapse, headbutted Izzy. Izzy stumbled back, stunned, releasing his tormenter. Metaletemon ran with Izzy after him, but the monkey called back. "If you chase me your friend will be deleted. Un-huh. Revenge or her life. I'd choose quickly." And with that, Metaletemon ran off down the hall.  
  
Izzy struggled to think. He looked at his escaping foe and back to Palmon's inert form. Beads of green floated away. Izzy realized he had no choice. He ran up to Palmon, knelt down, and grabbed her. Not knowing how, he willed his aura to wrap around her. Energy flowed from him to her. Tendrils of his aura leapt out, snatching the escaping molecules and placing them back. In a few minutes Palmon was completely intact. She opened her eyes. "What happened?" She looked up and saw two red eyes looking at her and she screamed. But then she saw the owner of the eyes. "Izzy?"  
  
Izzy had let his anger take over, and the crest had taken control. He was part virus, so the crest didn't affect him as it did the rest of the digidestined. However, it did remove his knowledge, leaving him a shadow of himself. Simple conversation became difficult. He could only reply. "Yes."  
  
A thousand questions plagued Palmon. "How did you escape? How did you get those powers?" She questioned.  
  
Izzy stood there dumbfounded for a second. He couldn't clearly remember. "I don't know. I had to save you." He finally blurted out.  
  
Palmon couldn't believe it. Izzy had somehow managed to save her life from Metaletemon. How did he get this power? Then she remembered part of the prophecy.  
  
The son of fallen angels  
  
Shall reveal his power  
  
To save a loved one  
  
Palmon thought about this. Izzy had the power and he used it to save her. He must be the son, and she must be the loved one in the prophecy. It all made sense. He must truly love her. That was funny, since she was never attracted to him, but it was written in a prophecy, so it must be true. "Come on, we've got to get out of this hallway." Palmon grabbed Izzy's hand.  
  
Izzy's eyes had gone back to normal and his aura disappeared. "Ok." He nodded. Palmon lead him down the hall. Izzy stumbled along clumsily. He had difficulty thinking, plus the battle with Metaletemon and the transfer of energy from him to Palmon had left him drained.  
  
Palmon sensed Izzy's weakness. "Come on Izzy. This cell is empty, we can hide in here for a while." Palmon walked in, making sure to smash the lock first. She didn't want someone to discover them and simply lock the door. Izzy sat down on one of the bunks. He rubbed his temples, trying to clear his head.  
  
Palmon sat down next to Izzy and placed a hand on his hip. "Izzy, you saved my life."  
  
"I did?" Izzy replied. "I did I guess." Even remembering the last few minutes proved to be difficult.  
  
Izzy woke up later. The crest of ignorance had run its course, leaving him his normal self. "What happened?" He asked himself. He noticed Palmon leaning against his leg, fast asleep. He was overjoyed, "Prodigious, I must have saved her." He remembered breaking out of the cell, seeing Metaletemon attacking Palmon. Right about then his memory turned hazy. He must have let the crest of ignorance take over. He vaguely remembered Metaletemon running, and then he recalled bending down and kneeling by Palmon. Palmon said something and led him to this cell. He must have fallen asleep; he was so tired from the battle.  
  
Palmon was still dozing. Izzy decided to let her sleep, she needed her rest after being beaten severely by Metaletemon. He place his head back against the wall and started to sleep, losing himself in his thoughts. 


	23. An Ally in an Enemy

Gatomon didn't know what to say. Destroying the digivice had released some energy that freed her from her dark side. But now she was gust grasping the horrible things that she had done to her friends. "Kari, I'm so sorry." She repeated.  
  
"I couldn't control myself. I couldn't." She started crying again.  
  
Kari placed a hand on her shoulder and then hugged her tightly. "It's ok. It's all over now."  
  
"But the things I did! What I put you through working for EYAGH!" Gatomon pushed Kari away and clutched her chest.  
  
Kari saw Gatomon's eyes flash red again for a brief second. "What's happening?"  
  
Gatomon looked up again, her eyes back to normal, but she could feel something working inside her. "I'm changing back. I'm turning evil again. The digivice only temporarily cured me."  
  
"No, Gatomon! Fight it!" Kari grabbed both of her paws, but Gatomon pulled away.  
  
"I can't, Kari. I don't want to turn back. What I did to everyone... you, Gomamon, Tai, Gabumon, Biyomon. Oh my god! BIYOMON!" Gatomon's eyes flashed red again a little longer this time, but reverted back to their original blue. She flipped her paw open again and pulled out a key card. "Kari, listen to me. Run back to my castle. There's a secret entrance to Datamon's lab on the south wall. This will open the door."  
  
"Gatomon, what are you talking about?" Kari grabbed the keycard.  
  
"Please, Kari, just listen." Gatomon struggled to continue. "There's a disk called file recovery, put it in the computer and tell it to recover program Biyomon. You'll have to hurry, if you wait to long we might not be able to save her."  
  
"What happened to Biyomon?" Kari asked.  
  
Her answer was a sad whisper. "I deleted her." Gatomon jumped to her feet and made for the cave entrance as Kari sat there dumb-founded for a second. She quickly went after Gatomon, though. She found her standing at the edge of the cliff.  
  
"Gatomon, what are you dong now?" Kari stood at a distance.  
  
"I only have a few seconds left." Gatomon's eyes where now a mixture of red and blue. 'When I revert I'll try to stop to you and I can't allow that. Tell everyone I'm sorry." With that she turned and jumped off the cliff.  
  
"GATOMON NO!" Kari ran to the edge of the cliff, and saw Gatomon's form shrink to nothingness as it plummeted down to the river.  
  
  
  
Kari wasn't sure what happened next. She remembered running through a haze of tears towards the direction of the towering spire. She cried almost the whole way, her eyes were red from the constant streams of tears.  
  
The tower loomed over her as she ran her fingers across the wall. This must be the south wall, since the sun was setting in the west. Kari didn't know what she was looking for until her fingers touched an almost invisible hole, perfectly rectangular. Her hand trembled as she slowly inserted the card. The door soundlessly opened in front of her, revealing a darkened hallway. She placed her hand on the wall and slowly began to feel her away down. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her and pulled her into a room. She screamed and punched her assailant in the gut, who crumbled over like a jackknife.  
  
"Tai!" Kari announced. She picked up his arm and slowly lifted Tai up.  
  
"I'm glad to see you're all right too." Tai rubbed his stomach. "Although I see you don't need me protecting you. But I was worried Gatomon captured you."  
  
Tears welled up in Kari's eyes. "What's wrong?" Tai asked.  
  
"Gatomon's not evil." Kari replied.  
  
"I know she isn't Kari." Tai put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.  
  
Kari threw his hand off. "Don't humor me! She's not evil!" Kari calmed down. "I'm sorry Tai, but something happened. Gatomon attacked me and was about to destroy me." Tai's crest grew back as he filled up with anger at the though of Gatomon hurting Kari. "She grabbed my digivice and crushed it. A light surrounded her, and she was back to her old self. She was crying and everything." Kari held up the key card that Gatomon gave her. "She gave me this, and told me to find Gatomon's lab."  
  
Tai was still suspicious. Gatomon fooled them out of their digivices before. This might be some cruel trick. "Why would she want you in Datamon's lab?"  
  
Kari lowered her head. "She killed Biyomon."  
  
Tai stumbled and back and worded the word no. It had never occurred to him that one of them might actually be killed. "But it still might be a trick."  
  
Tears welled up in Kari eyes again. "Gatomon killed herself. She was turning evil again. She did it to protect me." Suddenly, a smile crept on Kari 's face, and she continued. "But she said we can save Biyomon, so maybe it will work on her too! In Datamon's lab, she has a program to restore digimon."  
  
"That makes sense," Tai nodded to himself. "That's must be how she brought back Devimon and the other viral digimon."  
  
"So we have to hurry," Kari started running down the hall, Tai actually straining to keep up.  
  
  
  
Tai stood in front of gigantic pad. It reminded him of the transporter pad from Star Trek. Kari had found the recovery disk Gatomon told her about. She placed in the computer. "Computer, recover program Biyomon." Kari announced.  
  
"There is a .719% loss of file, shall I continue?" The computer asked.  
  
"Yes!" Kari shouted. Tai shuddered briefly. He was about to say that maybe she shouldn't. Biyomon might come back without eyes, or something. He decided against it. They had to do everything to save Biyomon.  
  
An amazing sight filled the room. Seemingly out of nothingness pink dots appeared out of the room. They converged in a tornado. Tai's eyes filled with wonder as they molecules began to form. It was like watching an enormous jig saw puzzle put together in blinding speed. The dots swirled closer and closer together until finally they joined together in a flash of light. After the dots cleared from Tai eyes, he saw a pink bird standing on the pad.  
  
"Biyomon!" Tai cried. Biyomon took a step forward and stumbled. Tai caught her before she could fall over. "Are you all right?"  
  
"I have such a head ache." Biyomon rubbed her head. "What happened?"  
  
Tai smiled at her. "You're okay now, just try to relax."  
  
Kari loaded up the recovery program again. "Computer, recover program Gatomon."  
  
The computer answered in the same emotionless tone. "Program Gatomon does not exist. File not recoverable."  
  
Kari clenched the computer tightly as the words cut her like a knife. Tai looked into her face and saw the tears about to start again. Suddenly, there was a blast, and Kari crumpled to the ground, motionless. "NO!" Tai screamed, and raced forward. Vademon stood behind Kari, his ray gun smoking. Behind him was Datamon, not making any motion. He seemed more interested in observing than attacking. Tai's crest turned instantly black, turning him evil and filling him was rage. He didn't care about Kari now, but the fury he felt at Vademon was still there.  
  
Vademon waved the gun in front of his face. "Now just stay there. Don't worry about her. My ray gun was set to stun. Gatomon said not to harm anyone, and I don't dare cross her. Now two questions, how did you get in here and what where you doing? And please answer. I can set my gun to pain as well."  
  
The crest of fear made Tai think about himself first, and pain was last on his list. "Kari said Gatomon gave her a key to let her in." Datamon perked up when Tai said this. "And we were restoring Biyomon here."  
  
"Hmmm." Vademon thought and scratched his gun across his forehead. "I'm a little confused with Gatomon's plans, but she said capture the digidestined so that's what I'll do." Vademon leveled the gun at Tai's head. "Now hands up, you two, and march."  
  
Tai put up his hands. Biyomon struggled to put hers up as well, but she was still quite weak. Suddenly a glassy looked filled Vademon's eyes, and he collapsed to the ground. Datamon stood behind him, holding a syringe. "Don't look so surprised. I have no loyalty to Gatomon. And I figure my best chance to escape her is if you destroy her, or you turn her back to your side. Personally I couldn't care less which one you choose." Datamon motioned to the hall. "Now escape, I'll tell the octopus here we were jumped from behind."  
  
Tai grabbed Kari and flung her over his shoulder, not because he cared about her, but because he didn't want anyone to know they where here. Biyomon stumbled clumsily along, still disoriented from being brought back from the dead.  
  
They two of them hurried down the hall. Suddenly they heard a loud clanking sound, and heavy breathing. Metaletemon appeared at the far end of the hall, looking behind him as he ran. Tai grabbed Biyomon and threw her aggressively into a cell they where walking by. Tai quickly followed suit. Metaletemon ran by as if all the demons of digihell where after him.  
  
"What happened, What was that? And why did you throw me like that?" Biyomon got to her feet.  
  
"Metaletemon." Tai sneered. "And maybe you would have preferred for us to be captured." Kari was getting heavy on his shoulder. He dropped her, rather roughly, on to one of the bunks.  
  
"Sorry, Tai." Biyomon realized she was getting into the habit of apologizing to people who treated her roughly. "My mind is still a little hazy." Biyomon thought to herself for a minute. There were gaps in her memory. "What happened to me?"  
  
Tai answered, only because he had nothing better to do. "Apparently Gatomon deleted you. Kari and I managed to restore you."  
  
"You saved my life?" Biyomon appeared misty-eyed. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around Tai's neck. "Thank you Tai." She kissed him once the cheek.  
  
This caused all his anger to drain away and the anti-crest to lose its control over him. Tai decided that he and Biyomon should both get some rest while they could.  
  
A little while later Tai woke up and found Biyomon already awake. Biyomon noticed Tai was awake and she flew over. "How is she doing?"  
  
Tai didn't know what she was talking about at first, but then he remembered about Kari. That was another thing bothering him. He hadn't cared at all about Kari. He knew it was the crest's fault but still it gnawed at him. He walked over to the bunk Kari was sleeping and placed a hand on her forehead. "She's fine, she's not hot and she's breathing regular." Tai turned his attention to Biyomon. "How are you doing?"  
  
"I'm fine, it's just my memory's a little blank." Biyomon shook her head.  
  
"Huh?" Tai asked. "What do you mean?" He thought for a second. "The loss of file." He mentioned under his breath, so Biyomon couldn't hear.  
  
"Well, I remember climbing the tower with Gabumon. GABUMON?" Biyomon gasped. "He must have been captured by Gatomon's master!"  
  
"Gatomon's master?!" Tai asked. "You mean Gatomon's not in charge? Who is?"  
  
"I can't remember, Gatomon was talking, and she mention something about a plan. A fake death, and her faking her friendship with us. Gatomon spotted us, and her master attacked us with" Biyomon thought for a second. "bats."  
  
Tai and Biyomon stood silent for a minute as their thoughts raced. Gatomon had a master before who died, or supposedly died. A master who had a passion for bats and deception. "Myotismon." Tai whispered. 


	24. Not Dead Yet

Puppetmon was enjoying marching Mimi through the forest. "Hup two three four Hup two three four." Mimi was marching like a soldier, strict and at attention. This was mainly because of the strings extending from Puppetmon's left hand were controlling every movement. His right arm was dragging the motionless form of Agumon.  
  
Unbeknownst to Puppetmon, Agumon had regained consciousness. He was trying to figure out what to do. A pepper blast to the face would only anger him. Puppetmon dragged him through a large mound, sending dirt and bugs all over him. He sniffed and the smell of termites filled his nostrils. Agumon smiled and grabbed two handfuls. "Hey, Puppetmon!"  
  
Puppetmon held Agumon high so he was hanging upside down face to face. "Well look who's returned from slumber land! I guess I have to send you back now."  
  
"But first, how about meeting my new friends." Agumon threw his hands open, covering Puppetmon's face with the bugs and dirt.  
  
Puppetmon shook him violently, "Did you think I would drop you in surprise?" Suddenly, the bugs started to bite down. "AAAAHHHHHHH!" Puppetmon screamed. "GET THEM OFF!" He threw Agumon away as he tried to brush off the tiny attackers. Agumon was thrown a quarter mile away, landing with an enormous splash in a river.  
  
Agumon swam to the side sputtering. "I hope Mimi's ok." He rubbed his crotch at the memory of Mimi's previous attack.  
  
"This is a very popular river."  
  
Agumon whirled around. Gatomon stood in front of him. She was bruised and her fur was wet and mussed. But the most striking feature off all was her left paw. Instead of the yellow glove, a black prosthetic adorned her arm. "What happened to your paw?" Agumon asked, forgetting the gravity of situation for a moment.  
  
"Patamon, Magnangemon, sword, Yada, Yada, Yada." Gatomon growled. Jumping down from the cliff had put her in a nasty mood. She barely survived, and while she was turned back to her good self, she gave Kari the passkey to Datamon's lab. If she resurrected Biyomon, the bird would reveal all their plans. The master would not be pleased. Her claws extended on her black paw extended. "Ask the flying pot roast when I throw you in my jail."  
  
Gatomon leapt forward and tackled Agumon. Gatomon was weakened, but so was Agumon, and Gatomon was still a champion. Agumon grabbed her paws and tried to hold her off, but Gatomon simply smiled. Her fake paw shone blue, and sent a jolt running through Agumon's body. Agumon body spasmed as the voltage seared through him. The palm in Gatomon's paw flew open and out shot a black gear, which immediately implanted itself in his chest. Gatomon got up off Agumon. Agumon got up as well, now completely converted to Gatomon's side. "Come on you, we have to get back to my lair." She took a step forward and crumpled to her knees. The fall and the fight had completely drained her. She hated showing any sign of weakness, even to her brainwashed companion. "It looks like we'll have to camp here for a while. Help me over under that tree."  
  
Agumon, although weakened himself, threw Gatomon's arm around over his neck and walked her under a large tree. Gatomon threw Agumon's grip off and sat down under the tree.  
  
"More wasted time." Gatomon grumbled. She needed a little while to recover, and Kari was probably already at the lab. "So how did you get here" she asked, not really interested but needing something to make the time pass more quickly.  
  
"Mimi went psyco on me and Puppetmon threw me in the river." Agumon replied.  
  
"You met up with Mimi?"  
  
"Yeah, little bitch turned me over to Puppetmon. I can't believe it. One minute she's reading that new prophecy, the next she's kicking me in the balls." Agumon snorted.  
  
Gatomon stopped listening. Agumon said something that piqued her curiosity. "New prophecy?"  
  
"Gennai sent a finished prophecy to her on Izzy's computer. It was kind of interesting, but those things never make any sense. How did it go?" Agumon closed his eyes and thought to himself. He recited the prophecy with the voice of a scholar.  
  
The fallen angel shall show herself  
  
In the guise of a friend  
  
The sky shall turn dark  
  
And friends shall become foes  
  
She shall then raise the defeated and destroyed  
  
To take their revenge against the ones who banished them  
  
To the state of none-being  
  
The son of fallen angels  
  
Shall reveal his power  
  
To save a loved one  
  
The chosen ones shall then be tempted by the dark side  
  
To let their evil selves take control  
  
Then the fallen one shall reveal herself  
  
In her true form  
  
And then we shall see friends reunited  
  
With the writings from the past  
  
Hidden under the cover of shame  
  
To travel back to the past  
  
And the writer of these prophecies shall be revealed  
  
With the code of shame  
  
The power of a child  
  
The word of the lover  
  
With the defeat of the fallen angel  
  
By the true angels and the hidden heroes  
  
Will banish the villains to another time  
  
And release the apocalypse  
  
"Hmmm." Gatomon rubbed her chin. The words may have no meaning to Agumon, but she had insight that he didn't know about. "It seems I have erred. I do need that whiny brat Kari after all." She jumped to her feet. "Come on now, Dino, I have some work to do back at the castle, and an old friend to meet." 


	25. Apologies

"Well, here we are!" Puppetmon announced as he and Mimi walked through Gatomon's lair.  
  
"Now will you let me go?!" Mimi asked annoyed.  
  
"No, I don't think so just yet. We have to have a little talk before I turn you over to Gatomon." Puppetmon brought her close to his face with the strings he had attached. "I don't want Gatomon to know I let Agumon to escape. I am a big fan of pain, but only when I'm the one inflicting it. Receiving it is a completely different matter. Now can you keep out little secret?"  
  
"Why should I?" Mimi asked defiantly.  
  
"As I said before, I'm a fan of inflicting pain." Puppetmon grabbed her wrist and squeezed hard, forcing Mimi to the ground. Mimi was crying now.  
  
A lasso of flowers wrapped around Puppetmon's neck. Puppetmon let go of Mimi in surprise. He was yanked off his feet and tossed in a heap against the wall. "But not receiving it. We got that part." Lillymon stood next to Izzy. The two had heard voices when they had awakened from the cell. Palmon saw Puppetmon threatening Mimi, and she quickly and quietly digivolved to her Ultimate Lillymon form.  
  
Puppetmon jumped to his feet. "Well look who's here. I was looking for a rematch." Puppetmon held his hand out, and his strings shot out. Lillymon tried to dodge, but they merely followed her and quickly latched on. Izzy didn't even move as strings connect to his body as well.  
  
"By the way, we have a new trick." Lillymon announced and looked to her left at Izzy. Mimi looked at Izzy as well, and she nearly screamed in surprise when she saw his eyes were deep red. An aura of dark energy wrapped around his persona, and the strings instantly came off. Izzy opened his palm and fired a blast of energy directly in front of Lillymon, freeing her as well.  
  
Izzy turned his attention to Puppetmon. Puppetmon just smirked. "Nice trick. Here's one of mine. Puppet Pummel!" Puppetmon fired his mallet at Izzy. Pellets of energy came shooting towards Izzy. Izzy waved his hand and an arc of his dark energy shot forward, disintegrating Puppetmon's attack. Izzy's attack continued undeterred, striking Puppetmon on the chest. The wooden digimon sailed through the air and collided with the wall, cracking the stone. He fell to the ground with a whump, but rose unsteadily to his feet, his mallet still in his hands. Izzy's computer, which he had stashed behind, fell to the ground and slid towards them  
  
Lillymon laughed. She walked over and picked up Izzy's computer. She walked back and handed to Izzy. "I believe this is yours." She turned her gaze back to Puppetmon. "I guess you weren't expecting that."  
  
"I should have. Gatomon told us one of the digidestined had super powers. I thought it was that Matt kid." Puppetmon shook his head. "I really should pay more attention at meetings, but I always end up sleeping like a log."  
  
Lillymon heard this and her rage turned from Puppetmon to Izzy. "You mean, you knew you had these powers before?" Izzy turned to face Lillymon. "That means you used powers to save your love, who wasn't me! YOU... YOU... MAN!"  
  
Izzy backed up, his eyes returned to normal and his aura disappeared. "What?"  
  
Lillymon took a step forward, obliviously to Izzy's power.  
  
"I thought that was just a dream." Izzy held his hands out. "This crest makes me imbecilic when I get angry."  
  
"I am sick and tired of excuses from you men!" Lillymon interrupted.  
  
Suddenly a ball of energy flew out and the ground at Izzy's feet. He lost his balance and fell, hitting his head on the ground. Izzy tried to get up, but his head was swimming from the minor concussion and from Puppetmon's attack and his subsequent fall.  
  
"Are we forgetting about someone?" Puppetmon laughed. He was still unsteady on his feet. "You know what flower girl? You are a big help to our side."  
  
Lillymon growled. "Mimi, help Izzy get out of here. Puppetmon's mine!" Mimi ran to Izzy and helped him to his feet. Izzy put his arm around Mimi and the two quickly ran from the hall, leaving Lillymon and Puppetmon alone, or so they thought. A pair of eyes watched the two from a dark corner.  
  
"Well, you are a brave one." Puppetmon was weakened, but he was trying to hide it. "But as I like to say, the brave are always the first to die." Puppetmon jumped into the air, fully intent on bringing the mallet down on Lillymon. Lillymon flew backwards as Puppetmon landed. Puppetmon landed on his feet and quickly shot out strings.  
  
"I don't fall for the same trick twice either." Lillymon's body blossomed with flowers, and the strings attached to the buds. The flowers simply came off when Puppetmon pulled the strings. Puppetmon pointed his fist at Lillymon again, but this time he released a yarn ball to her surprise. The ball struck her in the chest, wrapping her arms and wings as she fell down.  
  
Puppetmon stepped forward twirling his mallet. "It's a good things I never run out of tricks." He held his mallet over Lillymon's head.  
  
"DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER!" Gomamon jumped out from his hiding place, and wrapped his arms around Puppetmon's face as he landed on the back of his head. He dug claws into his eyes, filling Puppetmon with pain and fury. He grabbed Gomamon off his head and threw him on the ground. "Why you little punk. No fair sneaking up." He raised his mallet high over his head to deliver the coup-de-grace.  
  
"Flower Cannon!" Puppetmon's gaze shifted up from Gomamon to Lillymon, who had managed to free herself. A blast from her hands caught him under the jaw, and he was sent sailing into the same wall Izzy knocked him into before. This time, the force of the blast sent him through the weakened wall and out of the castle. His high pitched scream became silent as he sailed down the side of the tower.  
  
Lillymon's hands went back to normal as she bent down next to Gomamon. "Are you all right?"  
  
Gomamon grasped her hand. "I am so sorry. How can you ever forgive me?"  
  
"Huh?" Lillymon replied confused.  
  
Gomamon didn't even hear. "When I came to I saw you and Metaletemon where gone. I looked all over, but you where gone. I was afraid you were deleted. It was all my fault. I betrayed your trust, and you almost got destroyed over it."  
  
"Gomamon, stop!" Lillymon put her other hand under his chin. "I know what those black gears do to you. I nearly killed Tai because of one of them."  
  
"But I was turning you in to save my own worthless hide!" Gomamon's rant continued.  
  
"You couldn't control yourself. I know you would never turn me in to Metaletemon."  
  
After hearing this, Lillymon de-digvolved to her rookie form, Palmon, her energy used up from the battle. "But we need to get out."  
  
All of a sudden Puppetmon appeared from behind a stone pillar. "Too late." He stood unsteadily on his feet, an obvious result of the recent attacks he suffered. He smiled at Palmon; "You should have blasted me harder. I merely climbed up back through the hole."  
  
"Sticks and stones," Puppetmon took the wooden X from behind his back. "Will break your bones." Puppetmon hurled his boomerang. Gomamon and Palmon where both knocked unconscious and thrown against the wall. Puppetmon skillfully caught the projectile as it came back to him. He talked to the senseless pair on the ground. "You shouldn't have used up all of your energy, it makes for a boring fight scene." 


	26. Crest of Hate

Sora had waited for what she thought was forever in that cave, until she decided she had to do something herself. Izzy hadn't returned, and now it was up to her to rescue him and everybody else. A young girl versus an entire army of super powered creatures. That should instill fear in their hearts. She chuckled at that thought, despite the grim situation. She looked up at the black tower in front of her and started to look for a way in. "Now, where is that door?"  
  
"About a hundred meters to the left. But you'll need a keycard to get in."  
  
Sora turned around. "Agumon, you safe!" She ran up and hugged Agumon. "I don't suppose you have a keycard?"  
  
Agumon pointed behind her. "No, but she does."  
  
Sora turned around again, expecting Mimi, Palmon or hopefully Biyomon. Gatomon's smirking face was the last thing she wanted to see. "Agumon what's going on?"  
  
Agumon broke her hug and walked over to Gatomon. "You're a bright girl, figure it out."  
  
Gatomon chuckled at Sora's horrified expression. "Don't worry your pretty little head. He's just under the black gear's influence for the moment." Gatomon licked the side of Agumon's face once; a sight that disgusted Sora but delighted Agumon. "Be a good little reptile and catch her for me. I have business inside." Gatomon grabbed Agumon hand and turned it palm up. A tiny black disc fell onto his palm from her prosthetic limb. "Put this on her crest. And when you do, tell her" Gatomon whispered in his ear hole so that Sora couldn't hear. She was already slowly backing up, ready to run. Gatomon raised her voice so Sora could hear the last part. "And don't hurt her too badly." Gatomon laughed once, then turned and ran to her lair. She had to locate Kari, and find out if she resurrected Biyomon. She had some major damage control to do.  
  
Sora looked behind her, and realized that she didn't have much of a chance of running. She bent down and picked up a stick and waved it around like a baseball bat. It was only Agumon in his rookie form. She took a stick to Phantomon before, an ultimate. "I'm not afraid of you." Gatomon said the gear would wear off, maybe she could keep him distracted until then.  
  
Agumon smirked. "Pepper breath!" A fireball seared towards her, and struck her make shift weapon. The stick broke in two, leaving her holding a tiny charred and smoldering end in her hands. It was then she remembered that when she attacked Phantomon she didn't fare much better.  
  
Agumon rushed forward and landed both feet on Sora's chest. Sora landed on her back, with Agumon's heavy weight on top of her. Agumon grabbed her chain and quickly adhered the crest of hate disc on to her crest of love.  
  
"What is that thing?" Sora asked, trying to shift out from Agumon's mass.  
  
"It's called the crest of hate, cutie." Sora scowled, which was the reaction Agumon was aiming for. "It works just like a black gear, except for humans. All it takes to activates is that you get angry."  
  
Sora took a deep breath in and calmed down. "Then I just won't get angry."  
  
"Well, how about if I tell you you're a little bitch." Agumon smiled.  
  
"Doesn't bother me." Sora took another breath.  
  
"How about if I tell you the fact that you've let your friends down? Hiding in the forest like a coward when Tai left like that." Agumon cocked his head.  
  
"Agumon, I know this isn't you. It's the black gear talking." Sora wasn't angry, in fact she felt sorry for Agumon. He was doing things he would never do.  
  
"Well then, how about this." Agumon paused for a minute to keep Sora guessing. "Gatomon gave me a message to give to you. About Biyomon."  
  
Sora's lower lip quivered. "What about Biyomon?"  
  
"Seems you little bird friend poked her beak into something she wasn't supposed to. Gatomon couldn't allow her to spread her secrets around." Agumon waited for her reply.  
  
Sora just lay there for a second as Agumon's words sunk in. "You're lying!"  
  
"No I am not, and you know it." Agumon replied.  
  
Sora realized Agumon was telling the truth. Gatomon did really delete Biyomon. A wrath filled Sora, more then she had ever felt. Biyomon was dead, DEAD. Her crest turned pitch black. Her fury at Gatomon and Agumon grew, and suddenly she realized she was also enraged at Izzy. Izzy had the power to stop Gatomon! He left her alone and went of with Devimon, and because of him Biyomon was gone forever. The crest drained her positive emotions leaving her rage behind.  
  
"Are we angry now?" Agumon asked mockingly.  
  
Sora wound up and nailed Agumon under his jaw. Agumon rolled head over heels, ending up on his butt in a mud puddle. He grabbed his jaw and cracked it. "Nice left."  
  
"How could you?" Sora shouted.  
  
"How could I what? Why are you angry?" Agumon inquired.  
  
Sora was about to answer because he didn't seem to care Biyomon was gone, but now that the crest of hate had drained her love away from her, she didn't care about Biyomon either. "I don't know."  
  
Agumon got up and pulled Sora down quickly so she was in the mud to. The crest of Hate caused her to tackle Agumon in response. In seconds they were both covered in mud.  
  
The two just lay in the mud puddle breathing deeply for a few seconds. Agumon got up first, covered in head to toe in mud. That's when horror over took Agumon. The black gear had worn off sometime during the mud wrestling. Horror hit him first, but he quickly shoved it down as he realized Sora's safety was his primary concern. "Come on, Sora we've got to get going!"  
  
Sora just mumbled something about him to go screw himself. She was tired. Agumon finally got Sora to her feet. "You'll thank me when that crest finishes." He began dragging Sora away from the tower. "We got to get away from here before..."  
  
"You run into that King of Soul, Master of Melody, Metaletemon? Un-huh." Metaletemon smiled to himself. He ran out here to get away from Izzy, and ran into two prisoners. "A little present to Gatomon."  
  
"Pepper breath!" Fireballs rocketed forth from Agumon's mouth, but splashed harmlessly against Metaletemon's skin.  
  
"I needed to work on my tan, thanks. Un-huh." Metaletemon moved with blinding speed, knocking Agumon out with a quick uppercut. It felt good to finally win a fight for once. He half expected Izzy to show up as he looked around. "Well what do we have here?" He walked up to the muck soaked Sora.  
  
"Bite me, Monkey boy." Sora replied.  
  
Metaletemon laughed. "I see someone got their anti-crest." Metaletemon blew her a kiss. "Normally I would teach you a lesson, cutie, but let's face it, you need a good hosing before you can be seen with the King." Sora didn't see the blow coming as she crumpled to the ground. "But maybe later." Metaletemon laughed again. 


	27. A Choice

Mimi ran down the hall or at least as fast as she could with Izzy leaning heavily on her shoulder. Izzy was still only semi-conscious from Puppetmon's attack. Mimi kept running, not paying any attention where she was going and collided with something hard. They both fell down, the sharp jolt knocking Izzy awake. "What happened?" Izzy asked, rubbing his head.  
  
Mimi grabbed Izzy's hand and helped him up. "Puppetmon knocked you out, we were running and we ran into that" Mimi stopped when she looked straight up into the lording form of Devimon.  
  
"Did I interrupt your escape?" Devimon questioned with a smirk in his voice. His gaze turned to Izzy, and the large cut bleeding from his forehead. "Are you hurt Izzy? Will you be all right?" Mimi looked at Devimon with shock, was he actually concerned about Izzy's welfare? This maniac tried to kill them all on File Island.  
  
"I contemplate so." Izzy rubbed his forehead.  
  
"That is good, I will have that fool Puppetmon punished for hurting you. Now you two come with me." Devimon motioned them to follow.  
  
"Listen you." Mimi pointed at Devimon. "We're leaving, and there's nothing you can do to stop us. You may not believe it, but my friend Izzy here has the power to wipe you off the face of the digiworld."  
  
Devimon chuckled. "I am afraid I can't allow that."  
  
"You asked for it, Izzy use your powers. This creepazoid is no where near as tough as Puppetmon." Mimi stepped behind Izzy.  
  
Izzy raised his shaking hand. "Please step aside." He almost added father, but didn't. He didn't want anyone else to know that fact yet.  
  
"You know I can't. If you want to get by, you'll have to delete me." Devimon threw his hands wide, as if to invite Izzy to strike him.  
  
Izzy hand was shaking violently now. "Izzy come on! Delete him. That nutball in the bad clothes tried to kill us, remember?!"  
  
Devimon took another step forward, allowing Izzy's hand to rest on his stomach. "Strike at me, prove you are evil, a worthy prodigy to follow in my footsteps."  
  
Izzy eyes where filled with tears. Devimon placed his hand on his arm and gently lowered his hand. Devimon placed his other hand on his shoulder. "I knew you wouldn't, you are constantly at war with you're good and evil side. It must be tiring." Devimon waved his other hand in front of Izzy's face. "So tiring." Izzy's eyes closed as Devimon's hypnotic voice sent him to a deep trance. He fell limp into Devimon's grip. Devimon gently picked up Izzy and tucked him under his shoulder.  
  
"IZZY! Wake up!" Mimi shouted.  
  
Devimon looked up at Mimi. "You can just be silent. Children should be seen and not heard. Come to think of it, let's eliminate the seen part as well." Devimon wasn't nearly as gentle with Mimi. He fired a blast of energy, and a black sphere wrapped around Mimi's head. The attack didn't hurt Mimi at first, until she began to run out of air. Mimi tried to claw at the energy sphere around her head, until she passed out onto the ground. Devimon's form reaching down was the last thing she saw before darkness overtook her.  
  
  
  
Izzy woke up in a cell. He tried to rub his head, but found he couldn't move his arm. He looked around and found himself chained by his arms up against a wall. On each of his arms were two bracelets, identical to the ones he had on him before. "They are taking ample precautions this time." He looked around the cell, and saw Mimi lying in front of him. "Mimi, wake up!"  
  
Mimi got to her hands and knees. "Whoooaaaaa." She shook her head.  
  
"Are you injured?" Izzy asked.  
  
"You idiot!" Mimi got up and slapped him across the face.  
  
"You're fine." Izzy mumbled. He tried to rub his cheek, but the chains held him in place. "What was that for?"  
  
"Devimon nearly killed me and you didn't lift a finger. He took my digivice, and now where screwed!" Mimi shouted inches away from his face enraged. "Why didn't you delete him when you had a chance?"  
  
Izzy couldn't tell her the truth, that Devimon was his father. "I don't assassinate." It was the best excuse he could come up with.  
  
"I saw you fight Puppetmon with no problem. What is it with you and Devimon? Don't treat meet like some brain dead moron!" Mimi stomped her foot.  
  
"What kind of moron should I regard you as?" Izzy asked coolly.  
  
"You insensitive creep!"  
  
"Whiny princess!"  
  
"Computer geek!"  
  
"Stuck up witch!"  
  
They continued shouting insults at one another. They where both so occupied they didn't notice the crests turning black. At almost the same time, the anti-crests took control of the two of them. Izzy stopped arguing, in fact he couldn't even remember why he was arguing. Mimi, on the other hand simply lost all her positive emotions. Izzy was chained out by his arms in front of her. She was still angry with him for getting her captured, but that was in the past. She noticed Izzy had stopped yelling at her as well. In fact, he seemed to have a far away glaze in his eyes. "I feel sleepy..." he said as he passed out from the after effects of Devimons hypnosis and Puppetmon's attack.  
  
"Damn it!" said Mimi as he nodded off. Now she had all this anger and no where to put it. Finally she curled up in the corner and went to sleep herself.  
  
The cell door swung open several hours later after the effects of the crests wore off. Izzy already was staring at the door, but that was only because that was how he was chained. Devimon walked into the cell. "I was told to gather you in the main laboratory. We are almost ready for the final step."  
  
"Devimon, don't do this!" Izzy pleaded.  
  
"It's not too late, Izzy," Devimon stood face to face with Izzy. "You can still join us. You would be invaluable."  
  
"Devimon, you know me. You know I could never join your army." Devimon shook his head at Izzy's answer.  
  
"What are you two talking about?" Mimi screamed. "Geez, I swear you to are family the way you are arguing." Devimon and Izzy both stared at her as the light went on in Mimi's head. "But how?" Mimi choked out.  
  
"A long story. One which does not concern you." Devimon turned back to Izzy. "Do not be foolish, my son."  
  
"You are the foolish one." Izzy announced. "What do you think will happen to me if I don't join you? I'll be killed along with all my friends. I know their fate will be my own."  
  
Mimi couldn't believe it, but she swore Devimon actually stuttered and looked nervous. "Join us, Izzy." Devimon finally announced.  
  
"Never." Izzy replied defiantly.  
  
Another surprise hit Mimi as Devimon actually looked sad at Izzy's answer. "Then I can't help you. You've sealed you fate." Devimon then wordlessly removed Izzy and Mimi, and marched them to the main lab. 


	28. Master Revealed

"Ooooohhhh, my head." Kari sat up on the bunk.  
  
"Kari, don't move suddenly." Tai was there with her, and Biyomon flew just over his shoulder. Tai continued speaking. "You where attacked by Vademon. You've been asleep for hours."  
  
"I'm fine Tai." Kari smiled at Biyomon. "I'm glad to see you're back."  
  
"Thank you, Kari, for restoring me." Biyomon smiled. "Who knew deletion wasn't permanent?"  
  
"Did Gatomon come back?" Kari whispered.  
  
"Sorry Kari." Tai bowed his head. "The computer said the file didn't exist."  
  
Kari started to cry again. "That means she really gone."  
  
"No it doesn't." All eyes turned to Biyomon as she spoke. "If the file doesn't exist in deletion, it means she wasn't deleted." Biyomon cocked her head and smiled. "I guess I've been listening to Izzy too much. Gatomon must be alive, then."  
  
"I am." Now all three turned to the door, with the newly arrived Gatomon standing there.  
  
Biyomon flew up. "Spiral Twist..."  
  
"No, Biyomon! Stop!" Kari ran in front of Gatomon. "Look at her eyes!"  
  
Tai realized Gatomon's eyes where not the blood shot red he saw them last, but her classic sky blue. "Gatomon?" He asked.  
  
There were tears in Gatomon's eyes, "I am so sorry." She ran up to Biyomon and held her wings. "I am so sorry, my master had control of me. I... I... can't believe I would hurt you. My master made me do these things, I can't... couldn't..."  
  
Tai put a sympathetic hand on Gatomon's shoulder. "It's ok, we know Myotismon's behind this."  
  
Gatomon smiled briefly, but it faded quickly. "You know about Myotismon?"  
  
"We do." Biyomon replied as Gatomon held on to her wings. "At least I far as I remember. Being deleted takes a lot out of you."  
  
"That's good, so you'll forgive me for this." Gatomon dug into Biyomon's wings deeply with her claws. Biyomon screamed, shortly before she was hurled against the wall.  
  
"Gatomon?" Kari took a step back. "But, your eyes?"  
  
Gatomon slapped the back of her head and caught two pieces of plastic as they fell from her eyes. When she looked up again, her eyes where deep red. "I can't believe it, the prophesied digidestined, fooled by cheap plastic and some acting." She took a menacing step forward. "I have good news for you, Kari. It seems we need you after all. Now, your brother, on the other hand, we don't need." Gatomon's claws extended on her metal paw.  
  
"Spiral Twister!" Green energy nailed Gatomon in the back. Gatomon executed a perfect flip off the wall and landed on her feet, hurt but not out.  
  
Gatomon sneered. Biyomon's attack had her slightly disoriented. "You're not necessary either, in case you've forgotten. We can't have you telling everyone that Myotismon's back now can we?" Gatomon chuckled, shortly before Kari jumped on her, covering with a thick blanket.  
  
"Run you two, she won't hurt me!" Kari screamed.  
  
Biyomon realized that discretion was the better part of valor. Also the fact that Gatomon would shred them the minute she worked her way out of the thick quilt. Biyomon gripped Tai painfully by the shoulders and pulled back hard, nearly lifting Tai up. Tai reluctantly followed, and they disappeared down the hall a split second before Gatomon freed herself. Gatomon screamed in rage. She sliced Kari across her leg. Kari instantly felt nausea fill her, then blacked out as Gatomon's sedatives took affect.  
  
Gatomon ran down the hall, but Tai and Biyomon were already hiding. She cursed out loud. "Blasted Biyomon!" She cracked her neck and looked back at Kari. "At least I got what I came for."  
  
  
  
"Welcome to my lab, Kari!" Gatomon smiled and waved her metallic paw around the room.  
  
Kari shook her head to regain focus. A voice shouted to her right. "Kari, are you all right?'  
  
Kari looked and saw Gabumon was in a clear plastic cell next to her. "Gabumon, you're ok!" Kari exclaimed. That's when she noticed a fourth figure in the laboratory.  
  
Gabumon snarled, especially at the indecencies had been forced upon on him. He had been prodded and examined and his fur removed for hours at a time. "I see you've noticed out captor there." Gabumon snorted.  
  
"We've met." Kari growled. "I though you where deleted."  
  
"Not quite yet." Gatomon's master pressed a few keys. Metal tentacles appeared out of holes in the wall of Kari's cell.  
  
"What are you doing?!" Kari screamed as her arms and legs where suddenly pulled in several directions by the tentacles.  
  
"Just a few tests, be patient." Gatomon smiled  
  
A Tankmon rolled in. It took no notice of anyone else but went straight to Gatomon's master. It mentioned something but was to far away to hear. It seemed to make the master very happy. "Run the tests, my slave. I will return shortly. It seems we have a new prisoner. I will fetch him personally." Gatomon bowed as her master left in a flurry of bats. Gatomon turned and pressed a few keys. Kari glowed bright white. She screamed in pain as she felt electric current shoot through her.  
  
Suddenly an alarm went off. The screen flashed a picture of Biyomon and Tai sneaking down the hall in the direction of the lab. "Looks like company's coming. I guess I'd better get ready."  
  
  
  
Tai and Biyomon stealthily made their way into the lab. Tai hoped Kari would have been brought here, and they were right. Kari and Gabumon where both asleep in separate clear plastic cells. Tai was so happy to see Kari safe, he failed to notice the small figure jump down from the ceiling. Gatomon twisted and landed on her feet.  
  
"Did you bring me anything?" Gatomon's claws extended. She rushed forward, Tai jumped out of the way as Gatomon tackled Biyomon. He slid under the desk, and something caught his attention.  
  
Gatomon had Biyomon by the throat with her real paw and held her metal paw inches away from her face to deliver the deathblow. "You think one deletion would be enough for anybody." A sudden blast of energy hit Gatomon square in the back. Gatomon crumbled into a ball as Biyomon threw the cat of her body.  
  
"Nice toy." Tai smiled, brandishing Vademon's ray gun in his grip. Vademon must have left it there when Datamon drugged him.  
  
Biyomon smiled, but the smiled ended quickly when a score of bats flew out from a darkened corner, knocking Biyomon out.  
  
Tai turned around and leveled his newly acquired weapon at the dark corner where the attack originated. He saw a figure in the dim light. "Don't move, or I'll atomize you!"  
  
"Destroy me? The master of all digimon?" The figure chuckled. "You aren't smart enough to work that weapon, let alone defeat me."  
  
"We know who you are Myotismon, come on out!" Tai yelled.  
  
"Myotismon?" The figure laughed. "Why however did you figure it out?"  
  
"It was pretty obvious." Tai leveled his ray gun at the figure. "Biyomon told us how she was attacked with bats, how Gatomon pretended to kill you and make friends with us. How stupid do you think we are?"  
  
"Do you want an honest answer to that question?" The figure stepped into the light. Black leather instead of Myotismon's traditional blue and red garb adorned the figure. A shapely female body came into focus as Tai looked up into red eyes.  
  
"Would you like a second guess to my identity?" Ladydevimon smiled. 


	29. Reunited

Tai was shocked. "Ladydevimon? But we destroyed you." He still kept his gun aimed at her. Suddenly, the prophecy made sense. "The fallen angel shall show herself in the guise of a friend." Tai whispered the first lines. " That line wasn't about Gatomon, it was about you controlling Gatomon! A fallen angel is called a devil!"  
  
"A biblical child." Ladydevimon took a step forward. "Do you follow the 'thou shalt not kill' part as well?"  
  
"Yes," Tai started to squeeze the trigger. "But the bible says nothing about 'thou shalt not delete!'"  
  
"Now, we don't want to do that." Ladydevimon lifted her hand, and pulled up a bound and gagged TK.  
  
"TK!" Tai was ready to fire, but Ladydevimon's free hand twisted into a lance. She pointed the tip to TK's throat.  
  
"Now, be a dear and drop the gun." Ladydevimon slowly dragged the blade across TK's petrified face. "You know accidents happen to careless children."  
  
"You win. Just don't hurt him." Tai swore and threw the gun to her feet.  
  
Ladydevimon took a step froward, crushing the gun under her heel. "I do believe I win. If memory serves me, you and the bird were the only two who were free." She bent down and picked up Biyomon. Biyomon groaned slightly. Ladydevimon smirked, and hurled Biyomon into Tai, stunning them both. She snapped her fingers, and a squadron Tankmon appeared a moment later. "Bring these two to the main lab. Hook the girl up to the machine and bring the Gabumon as well." The Tankmon obeyed without question, carrying the prisoners to their destination. Ladydevimon smiled and shook Gatomon awake. "Call all my officers, it's time I made myself known."  
  
  
  
"So you are the master, not Gatomon?" Puppetmon laughed. "Boy, Piedmon would be pissed if he where still around."  
  
"I should have known that cat wasn't smart enough to do this." Datamon sneered. Gatomon held her eyelid open and stuck out her tongue.  
  
"So what's next master?" Vademon nervously asked.  
  
"Yeah, the king is bored, Un-huh." Metaletemon sat back in his chair and yawned. Devimon stood behind him and shook his head.  
  
Ladydevimon sat at the head of the table, with Ogremon standing to her right and Gatomon on the table to the left. She walked over to the wall and placed her hand on a small panel. A hidden safe opened. Ladydevimon took two items out of, it a disk and a remote control. "I'd like to thank all of you for your help. All the digimon and their digidestined have been captured. Without you, this would have not been possible. We are done in our mission. Consequently, your services are no longer required." She pressed a button. Vademon, Datamon, Puppetmon, and Metaletemon barely had time to squeak as they exploded into trillions of atoms. "You're dismissed." In other hand she held out the auto-recovery disk used to bring Biyomon and her viral officers back. "And I don't think we'll be needing you again." She crushed the disk in her hand and let the plastic pieces fall to the floor.  
  
Ladydevimon stood up and handed the remote back to Ogremon. "Place that back in the safe." Ogremon nodded and turned around. He placed his gigantic hand in the safe, and pulled it out again. He slammed the door shut with a mighty clang.  
  
"It's a shame, but they were becoming too unruly. I couldn't trust them like you, Gatomon." Ladydevimon ran her hand over Gatomon's head. "Or you Devimon." She traced a finger seductively over his chest. "Too much history to delete you on a whim. Beside, I never placed the same code in you as I did them."  
  
"And I am thankful for that." Devimon smiled. "Do you have all the digivices?"  
  
"All are in that safe." Ladydevimon nodded. "And only I can open the solid digizoidium safe."  
  
"Not quite all of them. Tai still has TK's digivice, master." Gatomon bowed.  
  
"No worry. One digimon is no threat; the device needs to be in close to TK to work. I have already ordered the digimon and their digidestined rounded up."  
  
Gatomon walked towards the enormous underground lab. Ladydevimon and Devimon were right outside the door, looking through a one way mirror. All the digimon were chained in a row, with the digidestined to chained to the wall next to them. Matt was being hauled in by several by Vilemon. He looked rather groggy thanks to the sedative still in his bloodstream. "Everything is in place master. Matt is being chained with the rest of the prisoners as we speak."  
  
"Good, my little kitten." Ladydevimon smiled. She turned to the mirror, and sighed. "It's a shame we have to destroy them, but the black gears and crests have only temporary effects on them. I was hoping to convert them permanently, as I did you Gatomon, to increase my power, but it seems that will not be possible."  
  
"Ladydevimon," Devimon stood up to the mirror. "The others are of no use, but the child Izzy has great power. I am sure I can convince him to see the error of his way and he will join us."  
  
Ladydevimon shook her head. "You have been trying every since you first discovered he was the one. If he has not turned now, he will not ever. He is too powerful to let live to fight against us." Devimon face grew a frown. Ladydevimon ran a finger under his chin. "Don't worry your pretty little head. I will give Izzy one more chance to join us. After all," She looked at the window at Izzy chained to the wall. "It's the least I can do for our son." 


	30. Plans Revealed and Hidden Heroes

"I'd like to thank you all for coming." Ladydevimon walked around the room. Tai looked up and was bedazzled by the enormous size. The room was gigantic; he couldn't even see the other side of the domed room. Every member of Ladydevimon's army was there, both their converted friends and the remnants of the Dark Master's armies. Still, the army filled barely a fraction of the room. The ceiling was so high; it looked like the sky. All the Digidestined where chained against the wall and their digimon even further down the room, with the exception of Kari and Gabumon. Kari was strapped to some enormous machine, while Gabumon was in a clear plastic cell. Ladydevimon motioned to the cameras all around her. "I hope you don't mind if I record this. Something to look back on when I rule the world. We have reached the part where the villain reveals her plans for global domination."  
  
Ladydevimon walked up to Gatomon, who was standing on the table. "Would you like to start, kitty?"  
  
"I'd be honored." Gatomon smiled. "Do you all remember when we battled Ladydevimon, my former friends?" She waited for an answer, but didn't expect one. Gatomon continued undaunted. "We all attacked her. A rather foolish thing for her to do, taking on five of us at once, not including Andromon."  
  
Ladydevimon interrupted. "But I had a plan. Why fight my enemies, when I can have them fight each other? I had no desire to serve Piedmon, but I followed him because otherwise I would end up deleted. When I saw you coming to attack him, I came up with my idea. If Piedmon destroyed you, I'd be no worse off. But if you destroyed Piedmon, I'd then take his place as the ruler of the digital world. I attacked you, but my real plan was to take you over using my black gears." Ladydevimon took a black gear and held it up for all to see.  
  
Gatomon continued. "So she assaulted us. During the battle she implanted Kabuterimon, Angemon, Agumon, Birdramon, and me with those black gears. Imagine her surprise when I and I alone converted to her dark side. She realized that with only me on her side, she would still lose so when we where battling one on one, she ordered me to create a distraction in order for her to escape. I fired a halo of light, and she disappeared in the flash."  
  
Ladydevimon shook her head. "I allowed Gatomon to return to her normal self, and she retained no memory of being on my side. I hid until you destroyed Piedmon, then I reasserted my control over Gatomon and had her take possession of your digivices. But one thing bothered me. Why did only Gatomon react to my black gear?"  
  
"I knew the answer to that." Gatomon walked over to Tai and picked TK's digivice out of his pocket.  
  
"That's TK's!" Tai shouted.  
  
"Tough." Gatomon examined the device. "When the rest of you digimon grew up, you where in constant contact with your digivices. The digivices have a way of counter acting the gear's effects. You became immune thanks to your exposure. I was only in contact with my digivice for a very short time. I never developed immunity against the black gears. That's why she brought back Datamon and Vademon, to make her black gears work on the rest of you." Gatomon threw the device to Devimon, who was standing guard next to the digidestined along with Ogremon.  
  
Devimon examined the device before pocketing it. "I attempted the same thing on File Island, it would have saved me a lot of trouble had I known this information before hand."  
  
"Now why didn't I destroy you, you ask?" Ladydevimon's hand turned into a lance, and she sliced a table in half. Her hand turned back to normal as she turned to look at the frightened faces of her prisoners. "At first it was because I had hoped to turn you all into loyal subjects like Gatomon here, but alas, the gears and anti-crest effects are only temporary. But then I kept you around for a second reason. There was a prophecy I discovered that would give me more power than I ever dreamed." Ladydevimon pressed some buttons on a computer and the prophecy filled the screen  
  
The fallen angel shall show herself  
  
In the guise of a friend  
  
The sky shall turn dark  
  
And friends shall become foes  
  
She shall then raise the defeated and destroyed  
  
To take their revenge against the ones who banished them  
  
To the state of none-being  
  
The son of fallen angels  
  
Shall reveal his power  
  
To save a loved one  
  
The chosen ones shall then be tempted by the dark side  
  
To let their evil selves take control  
  
Then the fallen one shall reveal herself  
  
In her true form  
  
And then we shall see friends reunited  
  
With the writings from the past  
  
Hidden under the cover of shame  
  
To travel back to the past  
  
And the writer of these prophecies shall be revealed  
  
With the code of shame  
  
The power of a child  
  
The word of the lover  
  
With the defeat of the fallen angel  
  
By the true angels and the hidden heroes  
  
Will banish the villains to another time  
  
And release the apocalypse  
  
Ladydevimon walked over to Gabumon's cage and pressed a button. A mechanical tentacle reached through a hole in the ceiling in one fluid motion removed Gabumon's pelt. Gabumon instantly tried to hide himself, but all he could do was cower in a corner. All the occupants of the room could clearly see the strange symbols all over his body.  
  
"Leave him alone!" Matt screamed.  
  
"I made my point." Ladydevimon pressed the button again. Gabumon's fur dropped from the ceiling, which Gabumon quickly put on. It was too late, though, for the damage was already done. Ladydevimon recited part of the prophecy. "And then we shall see friends reunited, With the writings from the past, hidden under the cover of shame."  
  
Izzy recognized what was on Gabumon's back. "Computer code."  
  
"Very observant." Ladydevimon motioned to a screen filled with the same symbols on Gabumon's skin. "But not just any computer code. This code allows current files to be transferred to other files from any time or any place."  
  
"So what so special about that?" Mimi asked.  
  
"Think about it you simpletons." Ladydevimon smirked. "Files are made constantly, every pico-second. And we are all files right now, since we are digital information. I can upload any file to files made in the future or the past. And the digital world and Earth world are connected. What ever happens to one happens to the other, and if you travel in one, you travel in the other."  
  
Izzy realized what she was talking about in horror. "Time travel. You can go to any point or anywhere in history, future or past. My God…"  
  
"Almost, Almost." Ladydevimon laughed. "But I couldn't access the code for two reasons. One, I needed a power source."  
  
Ladydevimon walked over to Kari and grabbed her chin. "The power of a child. This insignificant youth is filled with the power I needed. She used it to help fill Agumon with the power to destroy Machinedramon."  
  
Ladydevimon walked back to the digidestined and paced back in forth between them. "But there was a second problem, the code was encrypted with a password. It needed the word of a lover." She stopped in front of Izzy. "And that lover happens to be my son, Izzy."  
  
The entire room fell silent as Izzy realized this was his digimon mother. Ladydevimon continued speaking. "The son of fallen angels shall reveal his power to save a loved one. Me and Devimon where Izzy's parents." Ladydevimon turned and stare at Devimon for a second. "It was a short relationship during our scouting trip to Earth all those years ago, when we took human form. It ended with the birth of out son. I must admit, I was shocked to find out human children are carried with the woman." Ladydevimon ran her hands through Izzy's hair. "It's a shame we couldn't bring you back with us. You would have made a valuable ally. But it's not too late, you can still join my army here. So how about being a good little child and give me your password."  
  
Izzy snarled. "Call me a disobedient son, but you'll never acquire it from me."  
  
Ladydevimon sighed. "I was really hoping Devimon could bring you to our side, but I finally realize that will never happen." Ladydevimon's hand formed a lance again. "But I still need that password."  
  
"Killing me won't get you what you desire." Izzy replied defiantly.  
  
"No," Ladydevimon pointed her weapon at Sora's throat. "But killing her might."  
  
"NO STOP!" Izzy screamed. He closed his eyes. "Prodigious. The password I employ is prodigious."  
  
Ladydevimon smiled. "Computer! Input password Prodigious for program Time Warp."  
  
Kari glowed with the same white light she used to help her friends before. The machine attached fed on the power, and shot the energy straight up into the air. Lightening filled the roof of the enormous lab. The lightening took the form of a an enormous ring, shrinking from several stories high to ten feet high on a platform in front of the digidestined. The center of the ring was filled with a white light, so bright it was hard to look at. "Now where to travel?" Ladydevimon asked. She walked over to the computer and typed in some dates. "Maybe a millennium in the future, and return with powerful technology." More typing. "Or perhaps 40 000 years in the past. Conquer mankind before it begins." Another set of input. "I know, four years ago. We can stop that Koromon from entering your world and prevent Gennai and his allies from scanning you. No digidestined." Ladydevimon left the computer and walked back to the digidestined. "It's not a step to take lightly. I can rule any or every time." Ladydevimon's hand turned back to the all to familiar lance. "Now that I am all-powerful, I have no further need for any of you. I was originally going to allow you and your digimon to live, to increase my power. But the black gears only have a temporary affect on the digimon, besides Gatomon. It wouldn't be wise to allow you to live." She walked down the row and smiled at Biyomon. A flick of her lance sheared a single feather from Biyomon's chest. "I also destroyed the disk that revived you. No more "back from the dead" tours." Ladydevimon then walked up and down the row. "But the question is who dies first?" She slowly pointed her weapon slowly down the line. "I think I'll start with the one of you who was the biggest disappointment to me." Her lance stopped at Izzy's direction. "My own dear son."  
  
Izzy closed his eyes as Ladydevimon drew back to strike. A black gloved hand grabbed the point of the spear. "Wait!" Devimon held a tight grip on the point.  
  
"How dare you interfere?!" Ladydevimon screeched. She backhanded Devimon away with her other hand.  
  
"Forgive me." Devimon rubbed his cheek. "But I still think we can turn him. He is our son."  
  
"Digimon don't have sons or daughters. I only used the term to get him to join us, but I see that was a waste of my valuable time." Ladydevimon sneered. "He is merely a freak. He's not human or digimon. I gave him every opportunity to join us, and he foolishly refused." Ladydevimon turned her gaze back to Izzy. "Now he'll pay the price for his stupidity." Ladydevimon rushed forward and struck, piercing straight through her target.  
  
Izzy's eyes flew open as heard the sickening sound of the pointed bayonet pierced through the chest cavity. He looked down, and found he was unharmed. His gaze turned upwards. Devimon stood in front of him. A black point came out of the middle of his back. Ladydevimon retracted her weapon. "You are a bigger fool than I thought, Devimon. A worthless sacrifice to this ungrateful brat."  
  
Devimon stumbled backwards next to Izzy and TK who were chained up side by side. He was seconds away from deletion, he could feel it. He looked at Ladydevimon. "I was wrong. He's not a mere human. He is…my son."  
  
Ladydevimon laughed. "Then it is fitting you shall share his fate."  
  
Devimon held out his hand. TK's digivice, the one Gatomon gave him, was in it. "No. He won't."  
  
Devimon turned and placed the device in TK's hand. Across the row Patamon felt the power flow through him. "Patamon digivolve to … ANGEMON!" The chains burst off as Angemon soared forth. Angemon knew he didn't have time to digivolve again, so he merely tackled Ladydevimon, throwing the two of them through the same one way mirror Ladydevimon was looking through moments before.  
  
The sounds of battle echoed down to nothingness as Devimon collapsed to the ground. His form was slowly breaking up. Izzy saw the same thing happen before, but this time it filled him with sorrow. "Devimon?"  
  
"I deserve this fate. I sealed myself to this destiny." Devimon's legs where gone, and the atoms from his torso where floating away. "But I have one favor to ask of you."  
  
"Yes?" Izzy asked with tears in his eyes.  
  
The disintegration was at his shoulders now. "Forgiveness." He coughed out.  
  
Izzy closed his and whispered, "I forgive you…. Father."  
  
Devimon smiled as his form completely broke up. Izzy was crying now. The other digimon and digidestined had misty eyes as well.  
  
"Izzy," Sora said sadly. "I'm sorry."  
  
"I am too, but we can't let Devimon die in vain." Tai announced. "We have to get out of here."  
  
"I am afraid that is impossible." Gatomon smirked. "You see, with Ladydevimon gone, the entire army will obey only my command." She walked up and jumped on Ogremon's shoulder and flicked his ear once. "And I don't think you'll have anymore heroes jumping to your aid."  
  
  
  
"Hand of fate!" Energy poured from Angemon's hand. Ladydevimon skillfully dodged. She leaped forward and thrust with her lanced shaped hand. Angemon deflected the attack with his gold rod. Angemon was stuggling, Ladydevimon was a skilled Ultimate, and he was already tired.  
  
"You can't win Angemon." Ladydevimon swiped again with her arm again, taking a small piece of hair off Angemon's head as he moved out of the way. "Even if by some miracle you defeat me, Gatomon will merely have my entire army destroy you." Ladydevimon brought down her lance, but Angemon held his staff over his head, blocking. Angemon clearly was straining to keep Ladydevimon from cutting him in half. "Why don't you join my little entourage?"  
  
"I am pure good. I will never join the likes of you." Angemon triumphantly announced.  
  
"Now that's just the negative attitude I'm talking about." A spinning roundhouse kick caught Angemon on the side of his head. Angemon fell limp to the ground. Ladydevimon grabbed Angemon by the hair and started dragging him back to the lab. "But I still have to kill you." She laughed as she walked towards the destination.  
  
  
  
Ladydevimon walked back into the room dragging the knocked out angel by his hair. She threw Angemon against the corner. She turned back towards the digidestined. "I didn't kill him. I want you all to see him die. Also, I figured that was a pleasure for my second in command." She turned and faced Gatomon. "He did cut off your paw."  
  
"I'd be honoured, master, to kill this stain on the digital world." Ladydevimon smiled mischievously at Gatomon. Gatomon bounded over to Angemon and sat on his chest. She drew her left hand back to strike, her yellow glove inches from Angemon's face. Ladydevimon laughed until she realized something horrifying.  
  
"Your paw, its back!" Gatomon turned and faced Ladydevimon. Her blue eyes seemed to pierce at her dark soul.  
  
"You're right it is." Gatomon turned white with light, and screamed, "Gatomon digivolve to ANGEWOMON!" Angewoman appeared in a blinding flash of light. Ladydevimon turned and looked at Kari. She was no longer attached to the machine, and clearly held the digivice in her hand. She looked in horror as the digidestined merely lowered their hands from the wall. They where no longer chained up. Even worse, she realized their digimon where no longer there. She turned to her army. Zudomon brandished his enormous hammer as Lillymon flew over his head. Garudamon hovered next to Megakabuterimon in the air. The two Mega digimon, Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon stood in front of the rest of their allies.  
  
"What the hell is going on?!" Ladydevimon screamed. Her plans where crumbling around her. She felt a strong grip around her throat and was thrown against the wall. Ladydevimon could swear she could see Angewomon's eyes burning with rage, even under her helmet.  
  
"Your deletion, and my revenge." Angewomon coldly said. 


	31. The End?

A furious battle raged in the lab. Ladydevimon's army along with turned allies fought against the digidestined digimon. The most surprising feature was Izzy. His black aura surrounded him as he was locked in hand to hand combat with Andromon. The battle was pretty equal, since the digidestined did not want to destroy their friends.  
  
The rest of the battle was merely a sideshow, for the true action was between Angewomon and Ladydevimon. "Celestial Arrow!" Ladydevimon dodged to the left, the arrow cutting a small piece off her leather garb.  
  
Angewomon screamed and rushed forward. Ladydevimon attempted to skewer her with her spear-shaped hand, but Angewomon quickly grabbed it and broke it over her knee. Ladydevimon screamed in pain.  
  
Angemon rubbed his head. "Whoa…"  
  
"Angemon, wake up!" Angemon shook himself awake. TK was standing next to him.  
  
"I am fine, but I must end this battle before one of our friends gets hurt." Angemon got to his feet. "Ready, TK?"  
  
"Ready, go for it Angemon!" TK held out his crest.  
  
Angemon's form started to reshape itself. "Angemon digivolve to MAGNANGEMON." Magnangemon nodded to TK and flew up to the center of the battle. His voice boomed out even over the roar of the fighting. "You corrupted our friends and our very souls, Ladydevimon. I will undo the damage you've done." Magnangemon stretched his wings out wide. "MEGA ANTIDOTE!" Magnangemon spun like a tornado. Beams of rainbow light flew out, striking every digimon in the room. The viral digimon and the digidestined showed no change, but the converted friends immediately changed.  
  
Andromon, who was in a mercy fight with Izzy, blinked his eyes twice, and then stopped. "Human Izzy?" Andromon looked at his own hands and shook his head. "Explain this anomaly later. We have a battle to win, my friend."  
  
The battle immediately turned. The remnants of the Dark Master's army fell almost instantly, completely overwhelmed by the superior forces. Only the battle between Ladydevimon and Angewomon raged on. The others felt like Angewomon deserved this fight to herself.  
  
"Ha! Take this, bleach job!" Ladydevimon twirled and threw out a barrage of bats towards her attacker.  
  
Angewomon flew straight up, avoiding the attack. "The things you made me do. The horrors, you will pay for it a thousand times over. Celestial Halo!" Angewomon raised her hands and a halo appeared over her head. She brought her hands down and the halo soared toward Ladydevimon. Ladydevimon tried to dodge, but the halo enlarged. Ladydevimon flew through the ring and Angewomon squeezed her hand tight. By command the halo constricted, ensnaring Ladydevimon. Ladydevimon fell to the ground with her arms pinned to her side. Angewomon dropped to the floor and picked her up.  
  
"Well, it seems you have won." Ladydevimon smiled. "But indulge my last wish. How did you escape?"  
  
"I'll do better than that. I'll show you." Angewomon turned to Kari, who was by the computer. "Kari, if you would."  
  
Kari nodded and typed in the computer. A screen popped out. "Your cameras recorded the whole thing. You'll love this."  
  
The screen filled with the final image of Devimon deleting. Gatomon was walking over as Tai was speaking.  
  
  
  
"..we can't let Devimon die in vain." Tai announced. "We have to get out of here."  
  
"I am afraid that is impossible." Gatomon smirked. "You see, with Ladydevimon gone, the entire army will obey only my command." She walked up and jumped on Ogremon's shoulder and flicked his ear once. "And I don't think you'll have anymore heroes jumping to your aid."  
  
Suddenly a green hand wrapped around Gatomon's leg. Gatomon gasped in surprise briefly, but she was thrown against the wall and knocked out.  
  
"Well, maybe one more hero." Ogremon replied.  
  
"Ogremon! You're back on our side!" Mimi cheered.  
  
"I never wasn't on your side." Ogremon broke the chains on Mimi's hand and worked his way down.  
  
"But how?" Tai asked as his hands where released. He rubbed his wrists.  
  
"Of course!" Izzy slapped his fore head. Ogremon grabbed the power- suppressing bracelets on his arms and crushed them. Izzy continued. "You're a virus, so the black gears would have no effect on you. You've been acting the whole time!"  
  
"You've got it!" Ogremon smashed the machine holding Kari. He eyed curiously that the portal did not close when Kari was released, but there where more important things to worry about. "Why do you think I let you escape back in the forest, Kari? I am not just another pretty face."  
  
"But what about the army?" Matt asked as he was freed.  
  
"Ladydevimon had them only obey Gatomon or herself." Ogremon finished freeing the digimon. "But we have to move fast, I don't know how long Angemon can hold her off."  
  
"But what about Gatomon?" Kari motioned to the knocked out cat on the floor.  
  
"Way ahead of you." Ogremon reached into his belt and pulled out two disks. "These where locked in Ladydevimon's safe. I think Gatomon brought them back with her."  
  
Ogremon handed them to Izzy. Izzy looked at the disks and smiled. "You are a genius, Ogremon." Izzy walked over to the computer and inserted the disks. He began typing.  
  
"I also have a gift for the rest of you too." Ogremon reached into his belt and pulled out the remaining digivices. "These are yours."  
  
"All right, Ogremon!" Tai cheered. Everyone rushed forward and snatched their digivices. Agumon, with his talented snout, helped them identify whose was whose by smell. Everyone quickly digivolved to their highest form in preparation for the upcoming battle.  
  
Izzy smiled as he finished typing. "All right, we're prepared. Computer, run disk one, defrag program Gatomon."  
  
All eyes turned to Gatomon as her black paw exploded into black atoms. A combination of white and yellow atoms swirled around and combined on the white stump. Suddenly, Gatomon's paw was back, as good as new. Light appeared from Gatomon's body and formed a small sphere. The sphere floated towards Kari, and the light vanished. Kari's digivice hovered briefly in the air, and dropped into Kari's hands.  
  
"And now for step two." Izzy pressed another couple of keys. "Computer, run disk two, antiviral program Gatomon."  
  
Invisible hands picked up Gatomon as she floated, still unconscious, over the floor. She slowly glowed bright white. Her eyes flew open, and the red from around her pupils disappeared, replaced by sky blue. Gatomon landed on her feet. Before she could say one word, Kari rushed up and hugged her. "Welcome back!" Kari cried.  
  
"But the things I did!" Gatomon cried.  
  
Tai placed a hand on Gatomon's shoulder. "The things Ladydevimon did, you mean. We know you had no choice. We all did things we where ashamed off." All the digimon and digidestined nodded their heads in agreement.  
  
Ogremon peered down the hole Angemon made. "I hate to interrupt a solemn moment, but Ladydevimon's coming back and Angemon's out of it."  
  
Tai ran back to the wall and held his arms in the original position. "I think I know away to safely rescue him. Everybody back to their positions. The digimon can hide in the army. Gatomon, think you're up for a little payback?"  
  
Gatomon sneered as Ladydevimon's form became visible. She whispered. "More than ready."  
  
  
  
Kari switched off the monitor. Ladydevimon shook her head and turned her gaze to Ogremon. "The hidden heroes. You and Devimon. Who would have guessed? It seems I erred when I deleted Datamon and the others. I assumed that one of them would be the one to betray me. Better luck next time I guess."  
  
"There's not going to be a next time. Any last words?" Angewomon scowled.  
  
Ladydevimon smiled. "Sure. COMPUTER! Activate program Apocalypse!"  
  
Suddenly, the entire world started to shake. An enormous ball of energy appeared in the center of the lab and seemed to eat away at the very matter of the digital world. "What did she do?" Sora screamed.  
  
"One should never take success for granted." Ladydevimon laughed. "Never make a plan without a back up plan. Program Apocalypse takes the code of every single deleted digimon and combines them into one enormous file." A gigantic gold ball with metallic claws appeared, and a dark cloaked figure appeared from the center. "I give you APOCALYMON!" Ladydevimon announced triumphantly.  
  
Angewomon looked up in horror, a mistake Ladydevimon capitalized on. A side kick to Angewomon's mid-section sent her sprawling. Ladydevimon took off in the direction of the portal, still bound by Angewomon's halo. Just before she jumped through, she gestured as best she could with her arms constrained. and a dozen bats flew out. "See you in the future. My future!" She jumped through the gate in a flash of blue light. The bats collided with the computer, destroying it completely. The portal flashed once, and then vanished.  
  
(This next section is basically a short version of the last two episodes of season 1, the arrival of Apocalymon, with one minor difference involving Izzy in the beginning. It's in here for plot development.)  
  
  
  
Everything was gone now except for the black void and the huge creature in front of them. "I am Apocalymon, the combination of all the defeated and deleted digimon. I am responsible for the creation of the dark masters, and now, to thanks to Ladydevimon, I am free to deliver the world into darkness."  
  
"Not if we can help it!" Tai announced.  
  
Apocalymon just smirked. His claws turned into those of various digimon, Machinedramon, Myotismon and Metalseadramon. He fired blasts of energy at the children, in which the digimon had to throw themselves in front of to save their lives.  
  
Izzy's eyes glowed red. "I won't let you hurt my friends." Izzy hands pulsed with black energy as his shield wrapped around him.  
  
"I do as I wish! I have the knowledge of all those deleted, and I know how to stop you, child." One of the claws took the form of Myotismon. "Here's a little something from our favorite vampire, souped up just for you. Mega Nightmare Wave!"  
  
Lillymon recognized that attack, Myotismon used it on her to drain her completely of her energy. Izzy was relying on his aura to protect him, but that would do nothing for an energy absorbing attack. "Izzy! MOVE!" Lillymon screamed as she flew as fast as she could to move him out of the way, but was a fraction too late. Izzy eyes flew open as his energy disappeared from his body. His aura shattered around him, and his mark of Devimon on his hand faded with his powers. Izzy looked down at his hand in shock.  
  
Apocalymon laughed. "Back to a ninety pound computer weakling, your suffering elevates my own. Know that you will never have your power for the remainder of your life. All ten seconds of it."  
  
"Come on everybody! Everybody attack!" Matt shouted.  
  
"I don't think so. You haven't seen all my power yet." With lightning speed, Apocalymon's claws shot out, grasping the digimon. "REVERSE DIGIVOLVE!" There was a blinding flash of light, and when the claws where removed, the digimon were back to their rookie forms, with the exception of Gatomon.  
  
"We're not beat yet! Come on everybody, digivolve again!" Tai shouted.  
  
"I don't think so." Hands flew out from one of the claws. The crests where ripped off the children and held out for them to see. Everyone felt a searing shock from the anti-crest, but Apocalymon ripped them off so fast it hardly registered. The crests exploded into atoms in front of their eyes. Apocalymon laughed evilly. "Enough. Be gone from my sight."  
  
Joe looked down at his feet, and was horrified to see his feet disappearing. "Ahhh! What's happening?!" The rest of the digidestined realized in horror the same was happening to them. They turned to their digimon to ask for help, but their digimon has already disintegrated to their torsos.  
  
"Farewell, digidestined!" Apocalymon cried as the digidestined disappeared into atoms. He surveyed the earth below him and laughed. "Now I can subject the world to the same pain and torment that I suffer constantly."  
  
Suddenly, atoms swirled in front of him. Apocalymon was stunned as the digidestined reappeared in front of his eyes. Even more surprising, the digimon had all digivolved to their highest level, without their crests. "But how?" Apocalymon announced.  
  
"You're in trouble!" Sora announced.  
  
"That's right, you're facing the new and improved digidestined!" Tai shouted.  
  
"Everyone, group attack now!" Matt cheered to everyone.  
  
Apocalymon snarled, and by his command, his claws flew out to finish the job he started. The digidestined attack began. Magnangemon, Angewomon, Lillymon and Zudomon took care of his claws, almost effortlessly it seemed. The two mega digimon where flying towards him. He turned his attention to them, and attacked with viral grenades and Machinedramon's Giga Cannon. Suddenly, Garudamon and Megakabuterimon flew in point position, and blazed an opening through the virus's defense. Before Apocalymon could regroup himself, two powerful attacks from Metalgarurumon and Wargreymon, disintegrating his body. Apocalymon responded with laughter. "Is that the best you can do?"  
  
"Give it up, you defeated!" Tai announced.  
  
More laughter. "you haven't seen my ultimate attack. TOTAL ANNIHILATION!"  
  
"He's going for broke!" Matt screamed as Apocalymon began to destroy the universe.  
  
Fear rushed through the digidestined veins, but was replaced by hope. The digivices glowed brightly, and formed a perfect energy cube around the final attack. The cube strained, but the explosion was contained and shrunk down to nothing.  
  
Both worlds where saved. File Island restored itself along with the digi eggs and primary village. A portal opened, allowing the digidestined to return to Earth, after a tearful good-bye with their digimon friends. But there was one question on everybody's mind. Had they seen the last of Ladydevimon?  
  
  
  
Epilogue:  
  
Carl just came out of his apartment block and strapped on his roller blades. At six-foot even, 190 pounds, he looked a little out of place here in Japan, especially with his short blond hair. But he enjoyed his job here working at the TV station. He just stopped off at his boss's apartment in Hightenview Terrace to deliver some packages. Nicest guy in the world, he even asked him to stay for his kid TK's birthday party. A small gathering of eight kids. It was kind of cute, they where playing make-believe, where a bird and a dinosaur where battling outside their building. Even named the dinosaur Greymon. Wonder where that came from? The parents where on the on the edgy side though. Somebody set off a bomb or something outside the building, and they where all talking about moving. It seemed a shame to break up those kids, they seem to make a good team.  
  
Carl skated faster down the street. It was later than he expected. It was already pretty dark, and all the lights where out on this street, probably from that explosion. Suddenly, a blue light from a darkened alley flashed. Carl stopped and stared out of his glasses at the sight before him. A lady in black leather stumbled and held her hand against the wall. Carl skated quickly to the woman's aid. "Are you hurt?"  
  
"What year is this?" The woman asked, and she quoted a year.  
  
"Whoa, you're off by four years lady. Are you sure you don't have a concussion, maybe we should lie you down?" Carl grabbed her arm gently.  
  
"Whoa," He breathed out. "I had dreams like that, meeting a beautiful woman"  
  
He felt a finger run down his shirt. "You think I'm beautiful? I'm touched."  
  
"What's your name?" Carl asked, hoping that this would be a regular occurrence.  
  
The woman chuckled. "Ladydevimon."  
  
Carl was about to comment on that weird name when suddenly the streets lights started working again, illuminating the dark alley allowing Carl to get a clear look at her. He screamed. White fangs came out a mouth placed on a pale white face. Soulless red eyes stared at him. He screamed. The creature in front of Carl smiled. Her red eyes flashed in front of him. "What, still don't find me attractive?" Ladydevimon's hand formed into a lance, and swiped at Carl. A large piece of his shirt came off. Ladydevimon thrusted again.  
  
Carl fell back on his skates, as Ladydevimon's weapon pierced threw the wall behind him. "My God, what the hell you are you?" He shrieked as he scrambled on his feet, out of the alley.  
  
Ladydevimon retracted her lance as it formed back into a hand. "Hell is where you're going, and what I'm bringing. Good guess on the god though, for it's only a matter of time." She flew up and landed on the rooftop. "It's the end game for you, digidestined. I won before you even had a chance to play." She laughed and tore off in to the night sky. 


End file.
